


A Season Of Rebirth

by BackseatGaffer



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-01-05 17:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18370700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BackseatGaffer/pseuds/BackseatGaffer
Summary: The 2017 NWSL season closed with three of its ten teams on the brink of folding. After purchases and relocations, the league starts 2018 with its entire complement in the fold. Follow the 2018 season, one week and relationship at a time.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I will add relationships to the tags as the story moves along. For starters, it will be just the characters listed.

On October 14, the Portland Thorns won the 2017 NWSL Championship over the North Carolina Courage at Orlando City Stadium by a 1-0 scoreline. Despite the air of celebration on the pitch that evening, a cloud of doom hung over the league as it wrapped up its fifth season of existence. Three founding members of the NWSL (FC Kansas City, the Boston Breakers, and Sky Blue FC) were in severe trouble of not being able to continue into 2018. On the Monday following the title match, the league's ten owners and its commissioner, Amanda Duffy, sat down to discuss the situation and how to ensure all ten teams would be part of the upcoming campaign. Following those conversations, Merritt Paulson and Arnim Whisler, owners of the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars, respectively, took on the mission of working to find new ownership that would save the three near-bankrupt franchises from folding.

* Paulson's discussions with Dell Loy Hansen, owner/operator of Real Salt Lake of MLS, led to a bid to purchase FC Kansas City, with plans to relocate the team to Salt Lake City.

* Whisler reached out to Jim Kavanaugh, who owned St. Louis Football Club in the second-division United Soccer Leagues, about acquiring controlling stake in either the Breakers or Sky Blue FC and bringing them to Missouri as a replacement for FC Kansas City.

* A number of corporate executives, led by Urban Outfitters' Margaret Hayne, Aramark's Eric Foss, and Campbell's Mark Clouse, approached Sky Blue FC owner Thomas Murphy about buying the club and moving it to Philadelphia. An agreement in principle was made between the two sides, to be finalized during the league owners' meeting on January 16th at the United Soccer Coaches convention.

* With Sky Blue now off the table, Kavanaugh contacted Boston Breakers owner Michael Stoller about purchasing the franchise. A Memorandum of Understanding was drafted and signed, bringing the several weeks of crisis management for the league to a close.

**********

On the morning of January 16, 2018, the sales of FC Kansas City, Sky Blue FC, and the Boston Breakers were made official, with managerial moves announced prior to the evening's closed-doors trade session involving the three clubs.

Philadelphia Victory - Named Christie Pearce head coach.

St. Louis FC - Named Vlatko Andonovski head coach.

Utah Royals FC - Named Laura Harvey head coach.

**********

After spending the afternoon speaking with their newly-inherited players, Pearce, Andonovski, and Harvey along with Hayne, Kavanaugh, and Hansen met to start the process of moving players averse to staying on with their current clubs to others. No trades between the three clubs were able to be executed during the hour or so they met, so all agreed to sleep on what had been discussed and return in the morning, when they would be joined by the other seven teams in the league.

**********

Wednesday morning's wheel-and-deal session resulted in a total of 27 players changing addresses from their 2017 homes (all transactions will be listed in the next installment). The NWSL Draft on Thursday had a trade midway through the first round between Washington, St. Louis, Houston, and Utah where the top four players selected were exchanged. Each of the three "new" teams held post-draft parties, with the Victory's at the Field House, a block south of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, St. Louis FC's at the Downtown Marriott, and Utah's at Le Meridien Philadelphia, with these events being the official unveilings of their new logos, ownership, and head coaches.


	2. NWSL Transaction Wire

Chicago Red Stars - Traded forward Christen Press to Utah for a player to be named later; Traded midfielder Danielle Colaprico to Seattle for midfielder Rumi Utsugi.

Houston Dash - Traded forward Sam Kerr and midfielder Nikki Stanton to Houston for midfielders Carli Lloyd and Amber Brooks.

St. Louis FC - Traded forward Savannah McCaskill to Washington, received Imani Dorsey from Utah.

Philadelphia Victory - Traded forward Kelley O'Hara and midfielder Taylor Lytle to Utah for defenders Yael Averbuch and Brittany Taylor.

Utah Royals FC - Traded defender Christina Gibbons and midfielder Heather O'Reilly to North Carolina for players to be named later; Traded forward Shea Groom to St. Louis for defender Brooke Elby; Traded Imani Dorsey to St. Louis, received defender Rebecca Quinn from Houston.

North Carolina Courage - Traded defender Abby Dahlkemper to Houston for defender Janine Van Wyk.

Washington Spirit - Traded midfielder Andi Sullivan to Houston for a player to be named later; Traded goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe and defender Ali Krieger to Utah, received forward Ashley Hatch and defender Jaelene Hinkle from North Carolina.

Portland Thorns - Traded goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom to Philadelphia for goalkeeper Caroline Casey.

Orlando Pride - Traded goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe to St. Louis for goalkeeper Abby Smith; Traded midfielder/defender Alanna Kennedy to Chicago, received forward Sydney Leroux from Utah.


	3. NWSL MatchDay One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featured game is Chicago at Portland.

An off-season that seemed to last forever has ended, with the NWSL just one day away from starting its sixth season. Following their appearance on Lifetime's season preview show filmed at Providence Park, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett met up for dinner with Stephanie McCaffrey of the Chicago Red Stars for dinner at Jackrabbit. Lindsey and Steph felt it was necessary for the two of them plus Emily to see one another prior to tomorrow's game so cooler heads may be made to prevail after off-field actions by a a few members of the latter's team and inner circle caused a sizable rift between Lindsey, Emily, and them. Steph chose to bring Sam Johnson with her as both an impartial party and to test-run in front of the other two the new developments in their friendship.

Lindsey (to Steph): Since you are the one who suggested tonight's "clearing of the air", I guess you have a place you wish to start.

Steph: Lindsey, Emily, whatever you may think was behind Sammy (Mewis)'s decision to race to City Hall with Patrick before the end of 2017, it was DEFINITELY not to hurt you or Abby (Dahlkemper) or Kristie (Mewis). Truth was, after seeing what happened at Moe (Brian)'s wedding, she knew if the three or four of you had the opportunity to do that to her, she would first never be able to forgive you and second not be able to go through with marrying her man.

Lindsey: The second part is what we would have wanted ALL ALONG, for her to openly acknowledge what she and Abby had together and walk away from Patrick to pursue it.

Steph: That wasn't going to happen. When Kristie and I went official, rumors began to fly about Sam and Abby and whether they were party to our relationship, with Sam and I engaging on the side as well as Kristie and Abby. You know how media-shy Stretch is, and the constancy of questions in that direction would have been the death of her. Therefore, she kept Abby on the down-low and played up publicly her and Patrick. When you, Emily, Kelley (O'Hara), Danny (Colaprico), Christen (Press), and Cari (Roccaro) went ahead and objected to Moe and Fabrice's being married, it struck Sam as being wrong, that the six of you chose to make a scene on what was supposed to be the happiest day of Morgan's life. Even though EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, her, and others warned Moe the night before that you'd do so if push came to shove, in that moment she couldn't go ahead and join you. When she saw Julie (Johnston) hadn't joined in either, it gave her a slight bit of backbone to take control of the situation she was in with Patrick and Abby and end the confusion once and for all, believing that she could patch things up with Abby after the fact.

Emily: She was wrong about that, and your desire to back Sam over Kristie's feeling betrayed cost you her. I'm sure Bob and Melissa (Sam and Kristie's parents) will eventually get the two to speak and reconcile, but with K-Mew in Texas away from all three of them, it might not be for a bit. The bigger heart wrench of the off-season was Danny losing Arin (Gilliland), then Moe, before falling for then being duped by Sofia (Huerta). Thankfully she got out of Chicago and can make a fresh start of her on and off-field life in Seattle.

Steph: Sorry to say this, but Danny NEVER had a chance to win any of those women. Sofia was NOT going to go against her own people and their culture to leave Matt for her, and both Arin and Moe's public spirituality wouldn't allow them to turn back on their decisions to "stay the straight and narrow path" and go through with the weddings. Do I feel bad for her? I do, but a lot of it was her own doing to chase after women she couldn't catch. Having said that, Julie's 180 on Christen was cold, but I get her point that there was too much to risk in leaving Zach and harming her public image in the process.

Emily: You may want to warn your teammates that what happens in the darkness shall be brought to the light, and tomorrow afternoon might be a good time to do so.

Sam Johnson: You're not serious about taking out your anger on them on the field, are you?

Emily: Can't say what will happen, but if an opportunity to deliver a little vigilante justice is available, don't be shocked if I choose to take advantage of it.

Steph: I know I'm going to get no place with your girl, Horan, but can we agree to a detente on the Sam-done-screwed-us angle, at least for tomorrow's game?

Lindsey: I can live with that. Emily is going to be totally amped on getting some revenge on the others and there's no need for either of us to end up part of the extracurriculars.

Sam J.: Can I make a small confession to the two of you?

Emily: Sure.

Sam J.: I'm not sure how long Rory is going to survive in Chicago if he continues to make off-handed comments in the locker room about our teammates' girlfriends on other teams. He had a few harsh words yesterday for Casey (Short) and her being with AD (Franch), and with both Alyssa (Naeher) and Alanna (Kennedy) dating players on St. Louis FC (Julie King and Kyah Simon, respectively), next week's opponent, he just might go too far. Doesn't help either that the US and Australia play each other in the May international window, nor that the first game of the pair is in Kansas City, nor that our clubs face off the first match afterwards.

Lindsey: That is a bear of a situation. Add on the off-season's upheaval and I can see Arnim being quick to the sword if he perceives that Dames has lost control of the locker room or has embarrassed the club with his remarks. As for those three relationships you mention, they all have history from when the players were teammates, either at the domestic or international level, BEFORE the Red Stars' players came to Chicago.

Steph: Guess we should all buckle in and be ready for a rough ride tomorrow and possibly the next couple weeks.

Steph and Sam left Jackrabbit and went back to the Portland Downtown Hilton next door, while Lindsey and Emily headed home.

**********

Dalen Cuff: Lifetime Sports welcomes you to the opening day of the 2018 National Women's Soccer League season. From a sold-out Providence Park, the 2017 NWSL champion Portland Thorns begin defense of their title against the Chicago Red Stars. Good afternoon, I'm Dalen Cuff. In the near six months since Portland's 1-0 victory over North Carolina in the 2017 NWSL Championship game, a LOT has transpired, not the least of which was three of the league's ten franchises being sold and relocated. The team formerly known as FC Kansas City is now the Utah Royals, Sky Blue FC has become the Philadelphia Victory, and the Boston Breakers have transformed into St. Louis FC. Jenn and Aly, what can be said about these moves and the resulting change of addresses for key members of the former teams' players?

Jenn Hildreth: From a stability and financial standpoint, the re-locations needed to happen. None of the three teams were viable in their former markets, with all of them being independent entities in a league landscape where franchise partnerships are quickly becoming the norm. Of last year's four playoff teams, three of them were partnered with either an MLS or USL team, with the Red Stars being the outlier. Both Utah and St. Louis are part of bigger organizations, and the significant corporate support that raised up in Philadelphia to keep Sky Blue in the region hopefully will allow the Victory to prosper.

Aly Wagner: I think the league office should be commended for attempting to get players who didn't wish to move onto their teams' new cities to other clubs. This also meant players on those other clubs would be moved to accommodate the new arrivals. The two teams in our game today were barely affected in the wheeling-and-dealing, each being part of one minor deal. The Thorns swapped backup goalkeepers with Philadelphia, allowing Britt Eckerstrom to return to the east coast in exchange for Caroline Casey. Chicago's dabble into the relocation game brought Alanna Kennedy to the Red Stars as part of a three-team trade which sent Christen Press to Utah and Sydney Leroux to Orlando. The bigger shock to the system was Danielle Colaprico requesting a move out of the Windy City and landing in Seattle following her return to the States after the W-League season wrapped up. We attempted to line up an interview with Colaprico's former University of Virginia teammates, Emily Sonnett of the Thorns and Morgan Brian of the Red Stars, but both declined our invitation. Instead, Dalen is on the field with the two team captains.

Dalen Cuff: I'm here with Christine Sinclair and Alyssa Naeher. Ladies, in a few short minutes, you will be leading your teams out onto the Providence Park field to start the 2018 season. Both of your rosters were relatively untouched in the off-season, but the two moves involving the Red Stars were fairly large head-scratchers considering what the team got in return. Alyssa, what can you tell us about the rationale for them?

Alyssa Naeher: A number of off-season events caused some discord amongst members of our roster, with those most hurt by those events seeking to separate themselves from the sources of their pain. I'm aware that a number of players from both teams met up last night in an attempt to clear the air ahead of today's match, and I hope that we will see a clean and competitive battle between our sides.

Dalen Cuff: Christine, can you promise that your charges will not be seeking out a pound of flesh for real or perceived sleights by members of the Red Stars?

Christine Sinclair: I plan to bring up the issue in the locker room before we depart for the field, imploring the players who feel aggrieved to not act out in a manner which could harm the team. To the best of my knowledge, the main row exists between the two players who turned down your interview request, with others on both sides also involved to a lesser extent.

Dalen Cuff: When we return, a special feature on Lindsey Horan, who is quickly becoming a significant piece of the US Women's National Team's midfield triangle. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

A spirited first twenty minutes of the match resulted in several shots against both Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch, but no goals. Following a temporary switch on the field between Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair, the former was able to get in one-on-one with the Red Stars' netminder. Horan pulled the ball back and led in Sinclair for the opening tally of the 2018 season. In first-half stoppage time, Chicago's back line relaxed slightly, allowing Horan to lob a pass behind into the path of Hayley Raso, who doubled the scoreline for the defending champs heading to the locker rooms.

With a two-goal margin, Emily Sonnett decided the time had come to dish out a bit of payback, whacking Sofia Huerta on a pair of one-on-ones around the penalty area. On a rare dribbling foray by the Thorns' center back, she was stripped by Morgan Brian near the top of the center circle, which she responded to with a harsh swinging tackle against the ankles of her college teammate. Referee Karen Abt displayed a yellow card to Sonnett and gave her a verbal warning about continued infringement against the opposing team. In the 64th minute, with the score still 2-0, Meghan Klingenberg was left in the dust by Huerta, whose cut into the box was unceremoniously ended by a two-footed studs-up tackle into the lower portion of her shin by Sonnett. Abt pointed to the spot to indicate a penalty kick had been awarded, then spoke with her assistant referee about the foul, namely whether a yellow issued here would constitute a "triple punishment" (spot kick, player dismissal, and subsequent suspension), which FIFA outlawed in 2016. Determining that it would, Sonnett was not carded but harshly warned by Abt that her next foul, regardless of severity, would result in dismissal. Vanessa DiBernardo converted the penalty and reduced the lead to 2-1 with 25 minutes left in normal time. Elizabeth Ball was inserted for Sonnett in the 71st minute and the two sides parried-and-thrusted the last twenty minutes seeking to pick up an additional goal. Substitutes Savannah Jordan and Mana Shim paired up on an insurance tally for the Thorns in the 83rd minute, the result of a through-pass which Sinclair dummied and allowed to run onto Jordan. Following three minutes of stoppage time, Abt blew the whistle on the season's first game, a 3-1 victory for Portland.

=====================

Portland 3 Chicago 1 (Sinclair/Horan, Raso/Horan, Jordan/Shim; DiBernardo pk)

North Carolina 3 Philadelphia 0 (Williams/Debinha, McDonald/Gibbons, O'Reilly/Zerboni)

Washington 1 Houston 1 (Hatch/Pugh; Kerr/Andressinha)

Utah 2 St. Louis 0 (Rodriguez/Press, Press/Labonta)

Seattle 1 Orlando 2 (Johnson/Colaprico; Leroux/Morgan, Morgan/Marta)


	4. NWSL Matchday Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feature game is Utah at Philadelphia.

The Utah Royals arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday evening, hoping to use a full training session on Friday to acclimate themselves to the lower altitude and remove the effect of the time change before Saturday afternoon's match. The geriatric set from the Victory (head coach Christie Pearce, goalkeeper coach Jill Loyden, Carli Lloyd, and Yael Averbuch) had dinner with Ali Krieger and Steph Labbe at Maggiano's Little Italy, a short walk from the Downtown Marriott, where the Royals were staying.

Ali Krieger: Carli, how are you adjusting to being "back home" and your role as the senior citizen of this squad?

Carli Lloyd: Even though I get on well with and like my younger teammates, I wouldn't have been open to the move if it weren't for Christie and Jill being here. The lines between coach and player get a little blurred with the two of them, myself, and Yael together, but they respect our experience and believe we can be a greater help in maturing the squad through our leadership on the field than in their having to do it from their perches.

Ali: And off-the-field?

Carli: It feels oddly enough like the same ish I went through when playing for Sky Blue back in 2010. On the good side, Christie and Yael are here, and Jill is with us now. On the bad, Brian (Hollins, her husband) is around almost all the time and the uptick in media attention concerning us is already a problem in my opinion. I'm frankly done with the facade and hope to get through this season, which I'm pretty sure will be my last as I turn 36 in July, then quietly divorce him and start a relationship with someone else.

Jill's ears perked up slightly at Carli's confession and she banked it in her mind for discussion at a later date.

Christie Pearce: I thought moving from playing to coaching would help fix the growing-apart feeling I had been having with Chris (Rampone, her husband) since the Victory Tour after the 2015 World Cup, but it's only made it worse. Having my salary paid by the USSF covered up a lot of financial decision-making that we hadn't discussed. When I was not allocated for the 2017 season, things got a bit tight but I didn't understand why until after I was offered the head coaching job and the two of us had a sit-down over the future. He had been banking away excess money of mine to use for various endeavors while I was away on national team duty. The bills got paid and Rylie and Reece never lacked for anything, but the nest egg I thought would be there when I retired wasn't. That discussion led to other things coming out and we are currently separated.

Steph Labbe: I'm so sorry to hear that. Guess I should feel a slight bit fortunate to not be married at the moment and dealing with the potential for my wife to chisel away what I bring home for herself. Jill, how is Madden doing?

Jill Loyden: The kid is great and I'm glad I walked away from playing when I did in order to place him as the top priority in my life. I just wish I could find someone who would accept us being a package, one that might not increase numerically and definitely won't decrease. Most of the women I've tried dating either don't want the responsibility of a child or are eager to have one of their own, and I don't know yet if I'm interested in shaking up Madden's world with a sibling.

Yael Averbuch: So Ali, give us the rundown of how Krashlyn flamed out and where you are now in the dating game.

Ali: After the Spirit finished just shy of the 2016 NWSL title, Jim (Gabarra, Washington's head coach) chose to reload for a shot at the title in 2017, which meant that I was asked to return instead of being able to join Ashlyn in Orlando. Over that season, we grew apart some due to the distance. Alex (Morgan) left Servando (Carassco, her husband) and I guess she and Ashlyn got closer. Because I was feeling at a loss, Steph and I started spending more time together, especially after she hit rock bottom following Jim's comments about the team not playing in front of her, which justified his sitting her for DiDi Haracic. When Steph left the team and went into seclusion, I realized I missed her more than I did Ashlyn, but was still sort of committed to her. I made a surprise visit to Orlando to greet the Pride's plane after their return from Portland after the NWSL semifinal game. Ash hadn't told me that she and Alex began living together after her split from Serv and I was shocked to find this out. In a quick turn of foot, I hopped a plane for Vegas and Steph's delayed Dirty 30, where I confessed what I had been feeling for her and, well, things happened.

Christie: And the move to Utah?

Steph: Following FCKC's relocation to Utah, Heather O'Reilly and Christina Gibbons requested to be sent to the Courage for personal reasons. The players which Paul Riley offered up in exchange, Ashley Hatch and Jaelene Hinkle, did not sit well with Royals management due to their outspokenness on the subject of same-sex relationships. The Spirit, long a haven for homophobia directed at the players from its management, entered the fray and offered up Ali and myself to go to Utah in exchange for Hatch and Hinkle after it was learned that we were "together".

Yael: Well, you guys are now seriously loaded after the relocation. The two of you, Press, KO, on top of Becky (Sauerbrunn) and A-Rod (Amy Rodriguez). How does Barnie (Nicole Barnhart, Utah's incumbent goalkeeper) fit into the equation now?

Ali: The shoulder injury in training camp and subsequent placement on the Season-Ending Injury list allowed Steph to step into the starting job and made it possible to keep our goalkeeper-of-the-future on the main roster. I'm thinking Nicole returns next year to help EJ get through Steph's absence during the World Cup and then retires before the 2020 season.

As dinner wrapped up, the six of them wished one another good luck for tomorrow and gave their approvals for where everyone seems to have landed after the musical chairs of the off-season.

**********

Jenn Hildreth (voiceover): Last Saturday, Utah and Philadelphia played their inaugural matches as members of the NWSL. Behind goals from Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez, the Royals defeated St. Louis FC 2-0, while the Victory lost to North Carolina by 3 goals to nil. Week Two commences with these two sides squaring off. Royals. Victory. Next on Lifetime.

Following the introductory credits, Dalen Cuff came on the air.

Dalen Cuff: Welcome to Lifetime Sports' coverage of the NWSL. We are at McCarthy Stadium on the campus of La Salle University for today's game between the Philadelphia Victory and the Utah Royals. Good afternoon, I'm Dalen Cuff. These two "newcomers" to the league got their campaigns off to very different starts last week, as Utah handled St. Louis 2-0 while Philly took it on the chin from the North Carolina Courage, falling 3-0. The two teams' off-season moves look to have been in opposite directions, as the Royals got stronger with the additions of Christen Press, Kelley O'Hara, Steph Labbe, and Ali Krieger, while the Victory's best pickup was Carli Lloyd returning to the area from Houston. As I bring in the pair of women who will call today's game, Jenn Hildreth and Aly Wagner, I have to ask if these two teams are on divergent paths for 2018, with Utah primed to chase an NWSL title to go with the pair won as FC Kansas City and Philly in rebuild mode with an eye on 2019, or if that's too broad a conclusion to make at this point.

Jenn Hildreth: It might be a broad generalization, but I don't think you're too far off. Utah started with a roster that included US National Team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Olympic gold medalists Amy Rodriguez and Nicole Barnhart, not to mention up-and-coming talent such as Erika Tymrak, Lo'eau Labonta, and Mandy Laddish. Then you add four world-class players in Press, O'Hara, Krieger, and Labbe to the mix and expectations are quite high on Laura Harvey to get this team not just to the playoffs, but on the stage come October 13th lifting the franchise's third league title.

Aly Wagner: Philly did the best they could following the sale and move, knowing that their two biggest stars, Sam Kerr and Kelley O'Hara, were not going to follow them. Christie Pearce was able to steer management into bringing back to the east coast a handful of very good if not spectacular players in Yael Averbuch, Brittany Taylor, and Amber Brooks along with Carli Lloyd. I think once they figure out how to replace the scoring power Kerr and O'Hara gave the team, the pieces will mesh as their defense should be much stronger than we saw in 2017, with Kailen Sheridan in net and a back four of Taylor, Averbuch, Erica Skroski, and Erin Simon fronted by Brooks as defensive midfielder.

Jenn: When we return, Dalen will interview two of the biggest changes to these teams' rosters, Carli Lloyd and Stephanie Labbe. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

Becky Sauerbrunn and Carli Lloyd have led their teams onto the field at McCarthy Stadium and the National Anthem has been played. While the public-address announcer introduced the starting lineups for Utah and Philly, Jenn and Aly went over them on the broadcast.

Jenn: The Royals' first XI has Canadian number one Stephanie Labbe between the pipes. The back line consists of Ali Krieger, Becky Sauerbrunn, Becca Quinn, and Becca Moros going right-to-left. Desiree Scott sets up in front of them and is joined by Katie Bowen and Lo'eau Labonta in midfield. The front line is centered by Christen Press, with Amy Rodriguez and Kelley O'Hara on the flanks. For the Victory, their front five has Sarah Killion and first-round draft pick Rachel Corboz playing behind the forward line of Maya Hayes, Carli Lloyd, and Raquel Rodriguez.

Both teams' defensive corps made life extremely difficult for the superstar scoring talent facing them. As the match passed 40 minutes. a roll-out from Steph Labbe to Becky Sauerbrunn was passed onto Becca Moros. Moros centered the ball to Becca Quinn who made a 30-yard run with it up the field before firing off a deceptive but effective pass over the heads of both Erica Skroski and Erin Simon. Amy Rodriguez collected it and took two dribbles before firing a shot over the quickly-advancing Kailen Sheridan to give the Royals a 1-0 lead they would take into halftime.

Following the insertion of Erika Tymrak for Krieger, which moved Bowen to right back, and Brittany Ratcliffe for Rodriguez, a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Moros to Scott to Labonta to O'Hara had her squared-up with the Victory's Taylor. O'Hara made a foray with the ball down the left touchline, then cut it back onto her right foot and sent in a cross which Press headed down into the net, putting Utah up two. As the goal-scoring battery celebrated, Press laid a kiss on O'Hara's forehead, which was picked up on the telecast and visible to those in the stands.

After the final whistle blew and the teams shook hands, Laura Harvey called her team together for a quick huddle. While listening to their coach, the Royals' four couples (Ali Krieger and Steph Labbe, Becca Moros and Mandy Laddish, EJ Proctor and Becca Quinn, and Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press) were standing front-to-back, with the shorter of the pairs leaning back against their partners. Dalen's plans to interview Quinn, Labbe, Press, and O'Hara during the post-game expanded to include their partners, with him inquiring about the display of affection following Press' goal and the relaxed atmosphere within the team for the couplings. Becca Moros and Mandy joined them at the end to share a bit about their own "coming out" in the FC Kansas City locker room, which in part laid the foundation for the three new pairings to be accepted without question.

=====================

Philadelphia 0 Utah 2 (Rodriguez/Quinn, Press/O'Hara)

Orlando 1 North Carolina 1 (Morgan/Leroux; McDonald/Williams)

Washington 1 Portland 2 (Hatch/Dougherty Howard; Horan/Long, Sonnett/Heath)

Chicago 2 St. Louis 0 (McCaffrey/DiBernardo, Huerta/Brian)

Houston 1 Seattle 2 (Kerr/Daly; Johnson/Rapinoe, Yanez/Nairn)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Utah and Portland, 2-0-0, 6 points.

Goals: Seven tied at 2.

Assists: Horan (POR), 2.

Points: Morgan/Press, 5; Six tied at 4.

GAA: Labbe (UTAH), 0.00; Rowland (NC), 0.50.


	5. NWSL Matchday Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Houston at Orlando, North Carolina at Utah

Jane Campbell and Ashlyn Harris had dinner with their partners (Andi Sullivan and Alex Morgan) at Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Orlando ahead of the anticipated battle between the Dash and the Pride tomorrow. The off-season saw both officially settle into relationships with current teammates and merge their on-field and off-field lives. Ashlyn shared her side of how the relationship she had with Ali Krieger disintegrated and her development of feelings for Alex, ones which led in part to her separating from, then divorcing Servando Carrasco. Andi spilled on the maneuvering which led to her ending up in Houston and with Jane, as well as divulging their getting-together story with the two Pride players. From there, the two couples moved onto other subjects from around the league.

Alex: Jane, you get on with the rest of the Georgians, right?

Jane: Yeah.

Alex: What's the scoop on the three of them, as KO doesn't want to talk about what's got her pissed-off with at least one of the other two?

Jane told Alex about what happened at Moe Brian's wedding and the residual damage that trickled down elsewhere in the league.

Ashlyn: So is that why Abby ended up being traded to the Dash?

Jane: Pretty much. Now, with Kristie and Cari (Roccaro) also in Houston, the talk around the locker room is whether two of them will get together if they haven't already.

Alex: All three of them have a common enemy right now. What are your predictions?

Andi: It's hard, because I think Abby could choose either one. I don't see Cari and Kristie going there, just because Mewie can be such a bitch at times and Frack has a bit of the tough girl in her as well. Kristie and Abby is the easier do, but Cari and Abby is a slightly cuter combination.

Jane: I think the intense hatred both Kristie and Abby have for Sam right now, and Kristie's anger toward Steph for backing her decision, means they need others to temper them and open them back up to love. So my money would be on Abby and Cari.

Ashlyn: Now, about Kelley.....you think she's going to give Sammy some what-for tomorrow?

Jane: Both you and Alex know as well as I do the girl is unpredictable. Will she use up her free hacks tomorrow or save them for when the Royals face the Red Stars and she can go after Moe and JJ? Can't say one way or the other.

Alex: Whatever happens, I think Jill needs to address this when we go to camp for the two Australia friendlies. If things don't get resolved, the dissension is going to infiltrate the national team and cause a LOT more dissension that currently exists.

Ashlyn: I'll take up the idea with Alyssa as she and Becky are the two best able to keep their calm while everyone else is getting stirred-up. Roster comes out Monday, right?

Andi: Think that's right, but I've never had to pay attention to it related to NWSL's schedule.

Jane: You're right, Ash. What's the expectation for roster size?

Alex: I'm guessing it will be smaller than usual, since it's the first in-season camp and we're playing the Aussies. Could be as small as 20 and only two keepers, could be 26 and four if Jill is looking to reward early-season success in the league.

Ashlyn and Alex drove Jane and Andi back to the Marriott Orlando Downtown before returning to their place in Lake Eola Heights.

**********

Dalen Cuff (voiceover): Alyssa Naeher of the Chicago Red Stars came into 2018 as the unquestioned starter in goal for the US Women's National Team. Lurking behind her are Ashlyn Harris of the Orlando Pride and Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash. With the roster for the US' two friendlies against Australia to be named on Monday, the number two and three netminders on the depth chart face off today determined to make Jill Ellis' decision of who to call in difficult. It's the Pride and the Dash, next on Lifetime.

The opening credits rolled, then a wide shot of the inside of Orlando City Stadium came on the screen.

Dalen Cuff: A partially-filled Orlando City Stadium is the setting for today's match between the hometown Pride and their rivals to the west, the Houston Dash. Hello, I'm Dalen Cuff. This game has been advertised as a battle between Ashlyn Harris and Jane Campbell, but on paper it's the teams' offenses which should be the bigger story. Aly, given the strike power both teams possess, should we be expecting a shootout rather than a keepers' duel?

Aly Wagner: I would side with the shootout. Orlando's trio of Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, and Marta have been a nuisance in their first two matches together and are facing a less-daunting back line today than they did last week against the Courage. As for Houston, Sam Kerr continues to be the most consistent scorer in the women's game, and should the rest of the team's front six, made up of Kealia Ohai, Janine Beckie, Rachel Daly, Kristie Mewis, and Andressinha, begin to connect with her and among themselves, the Dash can rival any team in the league offensively.

Dalen Cuff: When we return, a sneak peek into the on and off-field friendship between Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux, including an appearance by Cassius Dwyer. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

Both the Pride and Dash started off the match seeking an early tally. Leroux beat Clare Polkinghorne into the box, but was tripped by Cari Roccaro, giving the Pride a penalty kick just seven minutes in. Marta converted it, sending Campbell the wrong way and staking Orlando to a 1-0 lead. Houston's 3-5-2 formation overwhelmed the Pride in midfield and resulted in a pair of goals six minutes apart in the middle of the first half, with Sam Kerr heading home a Kristie Mewis corner kick to even the match and Kealia Ohai getting on the end of a Janine Beckie through-ball to give the Dash a 2-1 lead which they would take into halftime.

In the second half, a pair of key substitutions and a player shift propelled the Pride to eventually picking up all three points. First, Chioma Ubogagu was inserted for Dani Weatherholt, which reconfigured the midfield and allowed Marta to slot in behind Morgan. This change paid off when Marta drew Andi Sullivan up to challenge her and slipped a pass past her and between Polkinghorne and Dahlkemper for Leroux to finish off, making the score 2-2 in the 73rd minute. With momentum on their side, Orlando head coach Tom Sermanni pulled Leroux from the match and brought on rookie Veronica Latsko. The result of fresh legs on the flanks wore down Roccaro and Polkinghorne, leaving Morgan one-on-one with Dahlkemper. A give-and-go with Marta got the striker free and she buried a shot past Campbell to provide the winning tally in a 3-2 win for the Pride, moving them to the top of the league pending the rest of the day's action.

**********

At Rio Tinto Stadium, the Utah Royals and North Carolina Courage played to a 1-1 draw, with Kelley O'Hara's 19th minute goal being canceled out by one from Denise O'Sullivan in the 79th minute. The match was marred by a series of occurrences which started in the 66th minute. Following a pass forward from Sabrina D'Angelo to Sam Mewis, O'Hara viciously slid into the back of the midfielder's right foot, resulting in a yellow card and Mewis on the ground for several minutes as the Courage training staff checked her over. Mewis was stretchered off and assessed with what would turn out to be a strained Achilles tendon. After being subbed-out for Brittany Ratcliffe, O'Hara walked past the Courage bench area on the way to her own and engaged in a short shouting match with Mewis, one which ended with O'Hara landing a backhand across Mewis' face. A red card was given to the Utah forward and she headed for the locker room to a smattering of applause from the home fans.

During post-match interviews outside the stadium, both players were asked about the incidents.

Ryan McDonald (Deseret News): Sam, can you explain what happened both on-the-field and in the bench area involving you and Kelley O'Hara?

Sam Mewis: Kelley had been chirping at me for a fair portion of the match without really saying anything. On the foul, it seemed like she came directly for me, with no attempt to play the ball. She got me in the back of the right foot right as I planted my heel, causing a strain of the Achilles tendon. As for the bench area spat, as she walked past I asked her what had her all in a snit. She came to where I was seated and said, "If you don't know, then you really ARE dense! Perhaps I should be more obvious about it, then." It was then that she backhanded me. As she walked away, she stated that if I thought she was rough on me, wait until we play Houston or Portland.

Several minutes later, McDonald got Kelley's interpretation of the encounter.

Kelley O'Hara: As Sam and I engaged in some back-and-forth jawing, she refused to accept responsibility for the turmoil she caused in the off-season for several of our fellow US National Teamers, including people extremely close to me. When an opportunity presented itself in the second half, I felt she should feel a bit of the pain she had inflicted on her sister, my partner, and others, which is why I went into her hard from behind. I knew the yellow would be coming and was willing to take it. Harvs subbed me out a few minutes later and I went off the field on the opposite side rather than at the fourth official. As I walked in front of the Courage bench area, Sam asked me for an explanation of my riding her during the match. I told her that if she didn't know why, I'd have to leave a stronger indication of my beef with her, which is where the slap came from. I also told her that she was in for a LOT worse when they faced the Dash and the Thorns as I know Kristie, Abby (Dahlkemper), Lindsey (Horan), and Emily (Sonnett) will have her in their crosshairs.

=====================

Orlando 3 Houston 2 (Marta pk, Leroux/Marta, Morgan/Marta; Kerr/Mewis, Ohai/Beckie)

St. Louis 1 Washington 0 (Stengel/Lavelle)

Chicago 2 Philadelphia 1 (Kennedy/Gilliland, Nagasato/Mautz; Lloyd/Averbuch)

Utah 1 North Carolina 1 (O'Hara/Rodriguez; O'Sullivan/Hamilton)

Seattle 0 Portland 1 (Sinclair/Weber)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland 3-0-0, 9 points; Utah/Orlando 2-0-1, 7 points.

Goals: Morgan (ORL)/Kerr (HOU) 3; Seven at 2.

Assists: Marta (ORL) 3; Horan (POR) 2.

Points: Morgan (ORL) 7; Kerr (HOU) 6; Four tied at 5.

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.33, Rowland (NC) 0.50, Franch (POR) 0.67


	6. NWSL Matchday Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Utah at Portland

Allie Long: What the HELL were you thinking, Squirrel?!?! Slapping Sammy in the bench area after already sending her to the sidelines?!?!

Kelley O'Hara: She had the tackle coming, as payback for not acknowledging how she, along with Julie and Moe, created an off-season from Hell for some of the league's players. And yes, I count myself in that category.

Kelley and Christen were at Tobin Heath and Allie Long's apartment for some catch-up time as the Royals and Thorns would face off the next day in a top-of-the-table match. Kelley will be serving a one-match suspension tomorrow as a result of the red card she picked up in Utah's 1-1 draw against North Carolina.

Tobin Heath: I get the need to wake her up, but couldn't you have done it without getting a red and suspended for tomorrow's game?

Kelley: She didn't seem to be getting the hint, and her asking why I took her out was SO infuriating. I'm thinking, "HELLO, you denied your long-time partner in front of a host of people by not backing her in opposing Morgan's marriage to Fabrice. Then, you snuck off behind her and your sister's backs to City Hall, not even telling Steph or Lindsey until after the fact. And you want to ask WHY several of us hate you?!?!" Julie and Moe will get theirs next week if Kristie and her band of rebels don't do something tomorrow.

Allie: Something needs to be done about all this when you get together at camp for the Aussie friendlies. The league can't afford to have this entire season muddied up by off-field spats between players that end up being fought between the lines.

Christen: Not to mention how this will affect the National Team heading into World Cup qualifying.

Tobin: If the players get it out of their systems this week and next, HOPEFULLY we can start camp next Monday focused on the task at hand.

Allie: And if they don't or can't?

Kelley: Jill will need to step in and address it.

Christen: She's ignored it up to now, choosing to believe that the one-for-all, all-for-one spirit that exists when wearing the Red, White, and Blue will override any hard feelings we have toward one another.

Allie: And Duffy's comments have been aimed at how this grittiness on the field is good for the league and its burgeoning rivalries.

Tobin: CP, your goal-scoring celebration against Philly was so cute. Did you plan for the PDA or was it spur-of-the-moment?

Christen: It was planned, because we had already had the talk about FINALLY getting together, and I wanted to assure her of my commitment publicly.

Allie: So, Worms, how ARE things between the two of you?

Kelley: Peachy!

Tobin and Allie laughed at Kelley's comment, while Christen gave her a slight sock on the arm over the pun.

Kelley: Seriously, it's better than I thought it would be when I first crushed on Chrissy at Stanford.

Christen: I have to admit having a girlfriend who is adorable and all-in on the relationship is great. Dealing with someone who won't let you get close or refuses to make you a priority was tiring, and the heel turn she did on me was the last straw. Now......let me turn the tables on you two. Anything more than just you being the Harrys?

Tobin looked down and blushed slightly, trying to find some words to describe what she and Allie were. Luckily, her partner-in-crime spoke up.

Allie: Tobs and I have always been close, ever since Carolina. As life has continued to put us in the same places with each other, the National Team, Portland, our weird-ass friendships with Alex and you, Kelley, the bond has tightened. I wouldn't necessarily say we're "dating", but I don't believe either of us is looking for someone else.

Christen: I suppose I ought to pay you off, hun. You said they'd eventually look at one another once the other good options got scooped-up.

Kelley: I did, didn't I?

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and teasing as the longtime friends enjoyed one another's company.

**********

Angela Harrison (voiceover): The first three weeks of the NWSL season have given the fans much to cheer, and also much over which to disapprove. From the highlights of spectacular saves, sublime goals, and technically beautiful play to the overaggressive tackling and uptick in bookings, there has been plenty of action on the field. Today, two of the top teams in the league square off in what some consider an NWSL Championship preview. The Thorns and the Royals, next on Lifetime.

As Harrison welcomed viewers to the pre-game show, clips from the Thorns arriving in ones and twos to Providence Park were shown.

Angela Harrison: Portland and Utah are two of four teams unbeaten in the league, with the Thorns the only one at 3-0 and 9 points. Both teams have offense, both teams have defense, but the Royals will be missing a key piece of their first XI as Kelley O'Hara serves a one-match suspension as a result of being red-carded against North Carolina last weekend following an off-field skirmish with the Courage's Sam Mewis. As I bring in the two women in the booth who will call today's game, Jenn Hildreth and Kyndra De St. Aubin, I have to ask if these on-field incidents we've seen to start the season will cause problems for the national teams, as the US, Canada, and Australia all have friendlies scheduled for the upcoming international break, which will start following next week's fixtures?

Jenn Hildreth: Despite wishing for the best, I think you'll see some frost in the US camp, especially with the potential both this week and next for additional on-field disturbances involving the Red Stars, Dash, and these Royals.

Kyndra De St. Aubin: Jill Ellis' choice to call in so many of the affected players for this camp, as well as not comment on the internal strife involving them, leads me to believe either she doesn't know what's going on, she thinks she can solve it once they're in Kansas City next Sunday, or she's decided to let the players work it out without outside interference.

Jenn Hildreth: Speaking of national teams, rosters for the upcoming US/Australia series were announced on Monday, as was Canada's for their two matches against Portugal and Spain. Between those three teams and other internationals in the league, 59 NWSL players have been called to camp. As we go to break, here is a rundown of the US' group of 20 that will take on the Aussies.

US National Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris.

Defenders: Kelley O'Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Sofia Huerta, Casey Short.

Midfielders: Rose Lavelle, Linsdey Horan, Morgan Brian, Sam Mewis, Julie Johnston, Andi Sullivan.

Forwards: Christen Press, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Mallory Pugh.

**********

In the tunnel, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair stood at the front of their lines, with Steph Labbe and AD Franch behind them and the remainder of the two teams in numeric succession. The captains exchanged pleasantries before the referee crew led by Katja Koroleva came forward and took up their positions ahead of the two teams. After a few seconds of chatting with the two teams' skippers, the officials started walking out of the tunnel, with the players and escorts behind them. Koroleva grabbed the game ball from its pedestal and led the sides out to the center of the field. Following the national anthem, the starting lineups were announced.

PA announcer: And now for today's starting lineups. First for the Royals. Their captain, Number 4, Becky Sauerbrunn. In goal, Number 1, Stephanie Labbe. Number 3, Rebecca Moros. Number 6, Katie Bowen. Number 8, Amy Rodriguez. Number 11, Desiree Scott. Number 13, Brooke Elby. Number 15, Erika Tymrak. Number 16, Rebecca Quinn. Number 22, Ali Krieger. Number 23, Christen Press. Head coach for the Royals is Laura Harvey. Her assistant is Scott Parkinson.

A smattering of applause was given by the crowd for the Royals' players as they were introduced.

PA announcer: And here is the starting lineup for YOUR Portland Thorns! The captain, Number 12, CHRISTINE SINCLAIR! In goal, Number 24, A D FRANCH! Number 2, KATHERINE REYNOLDS! Number 4, EMILY MENGES! Number 10, LINDSEY HORAN! Number 16, EMILY SONNETT! Number 17, TOBIN HEATH! Number 20, ALLIE LONG! Number 21, HAYLEY RASO! Number 25, MEGHAN KLINGENBERG! And Number 30, CELESTE BOUREILLE! Head coach for the Thorns is Mark Parsons. His assistant is Nadine Angerer.

The two teams exchanged handshakes, with the Royals walking past the Thorns. Both teams then took first XI pictures while Jenn and Kyndra went over the lineups (Royals in a 4-4-2 and the Thorns in a 4-3-3) and keys to the game.

The Royals kicked off to start the match and utilized their deeper wing play to maintain possession of the ball in search of a breakdown in the Thorns' back six. A well-executed passing sequence started by Labbe's roll-out to Elby allowed Krieger to slither up the field in between Scott and Quinn, then strike a lobbing ball to Press, who first turned then cut back against Menges before placing a perfect shot into the upper corner over a partially-screened Franch. Shots from Sinclair, Horan, and Heath all tested Labbe, but none found their way past her and the Royals took their narrow advantage into the locker room.

The second half was a war of attrition as Parsons' first lineup changes (Savannah Jordan for Heath and Mana Shim for Boureille) were countered by ones from Harvey (Mandy Laddish for Krieger, dropping Quinn to center back, and Lo'Eau Labonta for Elby, moving Bowen to right back). The Thorns' final insertion, Kelli Hubly for Reynolds, converted their 4-3-3 into a 3-4-3 as Klingenberg slid up to left midfield and collectively provided enough pressure on the Royals' defense to break open their account on the day as Raso dribbled past Moros into the box and cut a pass back to Horan for a strike which Labbe had no chance of saving. Following four minutes of stoppage time, Koroleva blew the full-time whistle and both teams walked away with a point and their unbeaten records intact.

During the post-game festivities, Sauerbrunn and Sinclair spoke for a while, as the American sought insight from her Canadian counterpart on dealing with a potentially-fractured national team locker room. Christine told Becky she would ask some of her Maple Leafs for their recollections of John Herdman's intervention following his hire as national team coach after the 2011 Women's World Cup and get back to her sometime during the week. The pair wished one another good luck and went to catch up with their teams.

**********

BBVA Compass Stadium turned into a cauldron for some deep-seated animosity as the Dash hosted the Red Stars. In a match which saw three sendings-off and five additional yellow cards, the two teams ended up playing to a 2-2 draw. Sam Johnson was the first player to receive her walking papers when she clattered Sam Kerr with an uncontrolled high boot. As the Dash maintained their 2-0 halftime lead on Chicago, the chippiness of the affair began to come out, with harsh tackles from Abby Dahlkemper and Cari Roccaro drawing bookings from referee Elvis Osmanovic. Not to be outdone, Steph McCaffrey wiped out Janine Beckie to pick up her own yellow. The underlying anger between McCaffrey and her former partner boiled over in the 74th minute when Mewis planted the underside of her left cleat into the outside of her opponent's left ankle. As Kristie was walking away following the receipt of her yellow card, Steph got into her face and shoved her to the ground. While McCaffrey was being presented her second yellow and subsequent red, Rachel Daly entered the fray and yanked her down from behind by the hair, which was addressed by her being dismissed. Katie Naughton's header past Jane Campbell on a corner kick from Ari Sarkisian four minutes from time allowed the Red Stars to escape with a point and remain three points out of first.

=====================

Portland 1 Utah 1 (Horan/Raso; Press/Krieger)

Philadelphia 0 Orlando 2 (Leroux/Marta, Latsko/Morgan)

Washington 1 Seattle 3 (McCaskill/Dougherty Howard; Johnson/Rapinoe, Fishlock/Nairn, Yanez/Colaprico)

Houston 2 Chicago 2 (Kerr/Beckie, Daly/Mewis; DiBernardo pk, Naughton/Sarkisian)

St. Louis 1 North Carolina 2 (Simon/Andrews; Doniak/Debinha, Erceg/Gibbons)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland/Orlando 3-0-1, 10 points; Utah/North Carolina 2-0-2, 8 points

Goals: Kerr (HOU) 4; Four tied at 3

Assists: Marta (ORL) 4; Ten tied at 2

Points: Kerr (HOU)/Morgan (ORL) 8; Press (UTAH)/Leroux (ORL) 7

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.50; Rowland (NC) 0.67; Franch (POR) 0.75


	7. NWSL Matchday Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Washington at North Carolina

A laid-back gathering of Spirit and Courage players at the Carolina Ale House in Cary brought together three UCLA grads (Caprice Dydasco, Katelyn Rowland, and Taylor Smith), two from Cal-Berkeley (Arielle Ship and Sam Witteman), Meggie Dougherty Howard, Cali Farquharson, and Christina Gibbons. Once all had arrived and food and drinks had been ordered, the friendly cross-team interrogation began.

Sam Witteman: Ari, are you and Meggie FINALLY going to admit you're together?!

Arielle Ship: You mean you're actually BUYING the Instagram trolling the two of us are doing?

Sam: So you're just making it LOOK like you're a thing? No actual feelings between the two of you?

Meggie Dougherty Howard: Oh, there are definitely feelings. We just want to get the coach's dander up at the moment and piss off our two "holier-than-thou" teammates before actually coming forward and acknowledging to anyone we're a couple.

Caprice Dydasco: Same goes for Cali and I and other couples on the team. Jim hasn't been NEARLY as bad as the Red Stars coach in calling out player relationships, but the off-handed comments about how the larger crowds at the SoccerPlex should allow us to find some "normal" men in the stands hasn't sat too well with us.

Christina Gibbons: Luckily, Paul more or less stays out of our private lives, unless of course it seeps into the locker room, like the Sam/Abby situation this off-season. Now, I don't know either one of them THAT well, so Katelyn and Taylor have been filling me in on what happened and the back story.

Caprice: Abby is one of my best friends, and I am quite miffed with Sammy for doing her as wrong as she did, but I don't have it in me to do to her like KO did a couple of weeks ago, or what the Dash players probably will when they come to town in a few weeks. Besides, our team is in too big of a hole in this league to have players sent off or suspended for payback fouling.

Taylor Smith: They were TIGHT, but Abby never wanted to accept that Sam just could not be "out" with her. We've been able to keep the locker room fairly unified despite the differing opinions about what happened, because the bigger goal is winning the league, which we failed to accomplish last October.

Katelyn Rowland: Any of you got some advice on how to find SOMEONE to date? This "bro girl" thing is getting tiring, as the guys don't take me seriously as a possible girlfriend and the ladies all seem to not know how to approach me.

Caprice: Anyone on your radar, Kate?

Katelyn hemmed and hawed a little before opening up. "Like a few. I crush the hardest for Makenzy (Doniak), but she's too damn hot for me to get with. Prudhomme from St. Louis FC would be a nice one, although we'd never be able to play together since she's a keeper as well. Michaela (Hahn) is someone else I've thought about, but she is like 300% straight so no chance there. (Megan) Oyster if that ex-baseball player ever exits her life."

Cali Farquharson: If I can chip in a little insight. When Caprice and I began to get close, she had some of the same feelings as you seem to have about Makenzy. I told her the inside mattered more to me than the outside, and that I was more interested in having a girlfriend and partner who saw me more as endgame and less as "good enough for now". I also picked Megan's brain a little to get some background information on her so I knew how to best approach her. You close to any of the Wahoos?

Katelyn: None of them straight-away, but I'm tight with the Great Horan, which brings Sonny into play.

Taylor: Good place to start. Another option is to maybe instigate a Virginia/UCLA mashup when we visit Seattle in a couple of weeks. McCall (Zerboni) played with Lauren Barnes at Westwood, and you have Danny (Colaprico) and Kristen McNabb on the Reign from UVa. Add me and Darien (Jenkins) from our side and maybe the sparks can be made to fly.

Meggie: Christina, I know you're from this area, but why did you want to return here after FCKC were relocated to Utah?

Christina: Two reasons. First, I wasn't overly fond of the idea of being THAT much further away from home than KC was related to Raleigh. The other reason is pretty personal and I'd prefer not to get into it at the moment.

After a couple more beers, the Spirit players returned to the Doubletree for the night.

**********

Dalen Cuff (voiceover): In the nineteen months since today's opponents faced off for the 2016 NWSL Championship, the fortunes of the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage have gone in completely opposite directions. In 2017, the Courage won the Supporters' Shield as regular season champions, while the Spirit finished at the bottom of the table. This season to date has North Carolina unbeaten and just off the pace of Portland and Orlando at the top of the standings, while Washington has yet to find the winner's circle. Courage. Spirit. Next on Lifetime.

Shots of the crowd and the entrances to Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park were shown as Dalen began his opening monologue.

Dalen Cuff: On this final match day before the May international break, we are at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina for a match-up between teams at different ends of the league standings, as the North Carolina Courage take on the Washington Spirit. Good afternoon, I'm Dalen Cuff. Before we get onto previewing today's match, happenings this week around the league point toward a very tense hiatus ahead of us. After training on Tuesday, Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames launched into a several-minute critique of his players' off-field lives in a response to a question about how he planned to replace Steph McCaffrey and Sam Johnson in the lineup tonight against Utah following their red cards in last Saturday's match against Houston. Owner Arnim Whisler released a strongly-worded press release about Dames' comments and noted he had fined the coach $500 for his remarks while hinting at stricter discipline if he were to engage again in "conduct detrimental to the team and organization". Meanwhile, NWSL Commissioner Amanda Duffy has continued to tout the spirited nature of this season's matches instead of handing out additional suspensions for what are clearly unsporting acts and malicious attacks. I ask you, Jenn and Aly, will things calm down after the break, or are we going to see more of this, especially with the first of two set-aside Rivalry Weeks coming at its conclusion?

Aly Wagner: When we were in Portland last week for their match against Utah, the gossip train pointed to some of the higher-ups on the US National Team roster taking matters into their own hands when they get to Kansas City tomorrow. With the Royals in Chicago this weekend, I expect more conversations to take place and a plan to address what's happening on the field to come about. The dragging of this off-season's squabbles onto the field is harmful to both the product and the game atmosphere and, because it involves a fair portion of the US' player pool, will spill over into a toxic environment around camp.

Jenn Hildreth: Jill Ellis' non-response to what's transpired up until now has been deafening, so I'm glad that players like Becky Sauerbrunn, who we saw after the Royals/Thorns match speaking in-depth with her opposite number on the Canadian National Team, Christine Sinclair, are looking to step in and intervene, hopefully to everyone's benefit.

Dalen Cuff: Any comments on Rory Dames' outburst on Tuesday?

Aly Wagner: At one level, he was right about relationships within the league having the potential to turn out like a few of them did during this off-season, which required teams to move players in and out in response to breakups or hurt feelings. Also, the devolution of several matches into hackfests, especially with little or no consequences, presents a terrible picture of the league to the sports-viewing public. On the other hand, he painted WAY too broad a brush when it came to his own players' partners who play elsewhere in the league. With a locker room already a little fragile, one wonders if he might lose its confidence at some point.

Dalen Cuff: When we return to Cary, a breakdown of today's match and an interview with one of the Courage's newest arrivals, Heather O'Reilly. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

North Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 17 minutes, with Jess McDonald and Lynn Williams providing the goals. Following halftime, Dalen interviewed Spirit coach Jim Gabarra and was treated to some harsh words about his team's effort in the first forty-five minutes and assured that his tongue-lashing of the players in the locker room would result in a different mindset in the final stanza.

The second half started off terribly for the Spirit as they conceded a third goal, this one as a result of Sam Mewis heading home a Christina Gibbons corner kick. With a 3-0 lead, the Courage backed off a bit until both teams began making substitutions. After both Kristen Hamilton and Frannie Crouse entered the match, the home team added two more goals to the scoreline with the pair teaming up on the second one. A goal kick from Katelyn Rowland was allowed to bounce by Jaelene Hinkle and hopped her onto a wide-open Heather O'Reilly, who delivered the final tally of the evening past Kelsey Wys.

During the post-match show, the three Lifetime announcers speculated on what might happen on the transaction front over the break.

Dalen Cuff: International breaks tend to be when a lot of roster-shuffling happens in NWSL, as the bosses have a few days of rest to evaluate their current squads, their positions in the league, and how they might want to change both of those. Ladies, which teams might be the most active over the next ten days or so and who might they be targeting?

Jenn Hildreth: A lot of the teams seem to be pretty well-stocked and need to ride out the first half of the season before making a decision as to being buyers or sellers. That said, the Victory needs a bona fide goal scorer and I expect will seek to acquire one in the next two weeks. As for other teams, the rest of today's matches might expose holes in several rosters that should be addressed.

Aly Wagner: The Thorns and Royals are solid, but you know both Mark Parsons and Laura Harvey are never satisfied with the status quo. With the Australian National Team on US soil, I wouldn't be surprised if both of them attempt to sign a player or two as depth for their slightly-aging teams.

Dalen Cuff: Any coaches on the hot seat?

Jenn Hildreth: We've already heard Rory Dames is on thin ice in Chicago, with another outburst possibly getting him the gate. Past that, I can't see anyone else in trouble this soon into the season.

Aly Wagner: I beg to differ a little. The display we saw from the Spirit in the second half, where it looked as though the players had given up on the match, could be a sign that all is not well aside from the 0-4-1 record. If that's the case, replacing the coach is a LOT easier than moving several disgruntled or defiant players.

Dalen thanked Jenn and Aly for their insight and went to close the broadcast. "Our next broadcast will be May 19th, with St. Louis FC hosting the Chicago Red Stars. Pre-game starts at 3:30pm Eastern, with kickoff at 4:00. For myself, Jenn, and Aly, good evening from Cary, where the Courage moved back to the top of the NWSL with a resounding 6-0 triumph over the Washington Spirit."

**********

Elsewhere in the league:

* Christen Press' two goals and one assist led the Utah Royals to a 4-0 win over Chicago in a match where she also picked up a yellow for a ruthless cleat rake on Julie Johnston. Morgan Brian left the match at halftime "for precautionary reasons".

* St Louis FC shocked the Houston Dash with two goals after the 80th minute to pull off a 2-1 win. Katie Stengel and Rose Lavelle provided the scoring that negated a first-half Kealia Ohai tally.

* The Philadelphia Victory remained the only team in NWSL yet to pick up a point this season, falling to Seattle 2-1.

* The Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride played to a 1-1 draw that, combined with the day's other results, left the two of them along with North Carolina and Utah sitting atop the NWSL standings at 11 points.

=====================

North Carolina 6 Washington 0 (McDonald/Doniak, Williams/O'Sullivan, Mewis/Gibbons, Hamilton/Zerboni, Crouse/Hamilton, O'Reilly/Rowland)

Chicago 0 Utah 4 (Press/Labonta, O'Hara/Press, Press/Bowen, Quinn/Tymrak)

Houston 1 St. Louis 2 (Ohai/Mewis; Stengel/Leon, Lavelle/King)

Seattle 2 Philadelphia 1 (Rapinoe/Nairn, Kawasumi/Matheson; Killion/Rodriguez)

Portland 1 Orlando 1 (Raso/Boureille; Latsko/Van Egmond)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland/Orlando/Utah/North Carolina 3-0-2, 11 points; Seattle 3-2-0, 9 points; Chicago 2-2-1, 7 points; St. Louis 2-3-0, 6 points; Houston 0-3-2, 2 points; Washington 0-4-1, 1 point; Philadelphia 0-5-0, 0 points.

Goals: Press (UTAH) 5; Kerr (HOU) 4; Four tied at 3

Assists: Marta (ORL) 4; Three tied at 3

Points: Press (UTAH) 12; Kerr (HOU)/Morgan (ORL) 8

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.40; Rowland (NC) 0.50; Franch (POR) 0.80


	8. We Need to PAR-TAY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> US National Team camp

Sights and Sounds from US National Team camp in Kansas City:

* As players arrived at the Residence Inn Country Club Plaza, they were given their roommate assignments by assistant coach Tony Gustavsson. Despite head coach Jill Ellis being clueless about what was happening with a fair portion of her squad, her #2 had been paying attention and designed the pairings so conflict might be kept at a minimum.

>>>>Becky Sauerbrunn/Alyssa Naeher; Ashlyn Harris/Megan Rapinoe; Tobin Heath/Lindsey Horan; Mallory Pugh/Emily Sonnett; Alex Morgan/Kelley O'Hara; Abby Dahlkemper/Andi Sullivan; Julie Johnston/Sofia Huerta; Morgan Brian/Crystal Dunn; Sam Mewis/Rose Lavelle; Christen Press/Casey Short.<<<<

* Monday's agenda of weight-training/testing and the beep test allowed for no up-close confrontations, which extended into dinner and a second straight night of roommate and mini-clique hanging-out.

* Tuesday started with sectionals, with Becky leading the defenders, which included Julie and Andi, and Tobin the forwards and attacking midfielders. While there was tension in both groups, the leaders were able to keep the sessions on-task and the frostiness to a manageable level. The afternoon, however, saw things boil over a bit in some of the drill work Jill had the players run through. Prior to dinner, Becky, Alyssa, Tobin, and Megan met to discuss what they had seen and what they might consider doing tomorrow if things got out of hand. They also bemoaned their coach's continued head-in-the-sand approach to managing the visible conflict in her midst and wondered if perhaps the Aussies could help them out, leading Becky to ask Kelley if she could drop Sam Kerr, captain of the Matildas and her former Sky Blue FC teammate, a note asking for a small delegation to stop by the hotel that evening for a sit-down. At 8:00, Sam, Lydia Williams, Tameka Butt, and Clare Polkinghorne arrived at Becky and Alyssa's room, where they were met by the two of them, Megan, Tobin, and Kelley. Sam and Clare were quite aware of the problems in the American camp as they had seen some of the violent extracurriculars in their recent NWSL match against the Red Stars, which allowed the two of them and Alyssa to start off the conversation, with Becky and the others chiming in where appropriate. The group came to the decision that a combined night out for the two teams might be a means of breaking down the antagonism some of the players had for one another ahead of a potential intervention by the older Americans the next morning.

**********

Wednesday morning's training session was sullied by a handful of verbal skirmishes and a lot of non-verbal antagonism. Jill ended the session a half-hour early and asked Becky to stay on the field with her so they could talk about what was going on with the team.

Jill: What's the deal with the girls this week? Seems like they'd rather be anywhere but in camp.

Becky: Some of them probably would be, especially when confronted by others who have hurt them or betrayed them in numerous ways. Considering that it's been six months since the start of the problems, I am honestly surprised you've been ignoring them.

Becky went on to lay out for Jill the issues concerning: Morgan and a handful of the players; Sam, Abby, and Lindsey; Kelley, Julie, and Christen; and Emily and Sofia. She also informed her about the meeting she and others had with members of the Australian National Team and their plan for this evening.

Becky: Hopefully tonight will loosen things up enough for a true intervention to take place and for us as a team to unify again, even if it IS on a professional and not personal level.

Jill: Can I help, and if so how?

Becky: What we need is to have tomorrow morning clear of training. If Alyssa, Pinoe, and I can get the emotional foundation of the team restored, the use of the 2-3 hours will be more profitable for us heading into Saturday and the remainder of the pre-Qualifying camps than anything we might do on the field during that time. What is your plan for this afternoon?

Jill: The small-sided tournament we usually do on Wednesday afternoons.

Becky: Sounds good, but allow me to help you build the four teams so we don't get all-out warfare during it.

The coach and captain went into her office and parceled out the players for the afternoon's session.

Red: Morgan, Sam, Sofia, Julie, Alyssa

Blue: Becky, Lindsey, Christen, Rose, Casey

Green: Tobin, Andi, Emily, Crystal, Abby

Yellow: Megan, Ashlyn, Alex, Kelley, Mallory

**********

Across the Country Club Plaza area, the Americans and Australians gathered in small groups for dinner and commiseration. The two Chicago/St. Louis couples (Alyssa and Julie King and Alanna Kennedy and Kyah Simon) went to PF Chang's. Having gotten to know each other a bit prior to the Red Stars/St. Louis FC match a few weeks ago, the meal and conversation were a continuation of that night, with the vitriol Rory Dames had been firing at his players about their partners being the main subject. Alyssa and Alanna agreed to stand up for Julie and Kyah and to seek out support from Casey Short and others if Rory went off again in their midst. When the subject of St. Louis' progress on the field came up, Julie was effusive about how the team finally had grasped the overflow of pressure and "play to the points" style (most balls going either into the lone striker or the 10 behind her for further distribution or advancement) Vlatko espoused, which resulted in two wins in their last three and four goals over that span. Kyah chimed in with how the pre-season trade to bring Aubrey Bledsoe to St. Louis brought a better sense of calm in net than what Abby Smith or Sammy Jo Prudhomme had shown the previous season as well as an elevated spirit in the locker as a result of her "too cute" friendship with Katie Stengel (the pair were teammates at Wake Forest and spent a couple of NWSL off-seasons playing together for the Newcastle Jets in the W-League). Before the players returned to their hotels, Alyssa and Kyah engaged in a little bit of trash-talk, both for the two matches on Saturday and Tuesday and the match between their two clubs on May 19th.

###

The three Utah Royals in camp (Becky, Kelley, and Christen) joined up with Sam Kerr and Katrina Gorry at Buca di Beppo. Kelley and Sam got some of their Frat Daddy joking out of the way early, allowing the players to partake their meals with a less-chaotic frame of mind. Katrina asked the Royals about their club's fortunes now that they were no longer in KC.

Becky: I'm the only one of the three of us who was with FC Kansas City. Kelley came from Sky Blue and Christen from the Chicago Red Stars. From my perspective, Dell Loy Hansen, our new owner, has done a wonderful job in treating us as professionals and the team as a top-level sporting enterprise. The perks we have been given are great, but it's the mindset that we can devote everything to the pursuit of excellence and the development of our play without needing to worry about how the rent will get paid, or if players need to juggle a part-time or full-time job to make ends meet, or where we might end up after the season that has been the biggest positive so far.

Kelley: I've been impressed with the level of talent the team has, both from the old FCKC as well as the moves in the trade market to fill in voids left by players who chose not to follow the team westward.

Katrina: Who else did they pick up besides the two of you?

Christen: Ali Krieger and Steph Labbe from Washington, Becca Quinn from the Canadian National Team, and Becca's teammate at Duke, EJ Proctor, who will be our goalkeeper of the future.

Sam: You technically got Quinny from us, CP, in the deal which sent Andi Sullivan to the Dash.

Christen: True.

Katrina: Do you think there might be room on your roster for a wee tyke like myself?

Becky: You know Harvs has a propensity to always be looking to improve her team, so I wouldn't be surprised if she'd have interest. I can always bring it up to her ahead of Saturday's game and ask her to watch you sort of specifically.

Katrina: Thanks, Broon.

###

Hayley Raso grabbed her Aussie roommates, Ellie Carpenter and Caitlin Foord, and took them with her to Kona Grill for what she hoped would be a fun, let-your-hair-down evening with her Portland Thorns teammates, Lindsey Horan and Emily Sonnett. After introductions and placing their orders, Hayley started up with the ice-breaking.

Hayley: Ellie just turned 18 and has been bothering me about how she can hook on with an NWSL team. Either of you know if Gavin (Wilkinson, Thorns GM) or Mark (Parsons, head coach) might be interested?

Lindsey: Given the injury situation we seem to have with Kat (Reynolds) and (Emily) Menges, that right back spot is a bit of a revolving door. I know Mark doesn't want to use either Boo-Ray (Celeste Boureille) or Purcey (Midge Purce) there on a long-term basis, so we might have need for a player who can be penciled in there regularly.

Caitlin: I'm looking to come back to the league since I need more game time heading into World Cup qualifying later in the year. Are my rights still held by the club I last played for, or would I be a free agent?

Emily: It's convoluted, if I remember what Emily said when it came to the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. For players coming into the league from outside, like Ellie would be, they're technically free agents unless they are being allocated to the league by either USSF or CSA. If that's the case, they are subject to the league's allocation list and can be selected by any of the ten teams based on their position on that list. In your case, since FFA doesn't have an allocation agreement with NWSL, your previous club would have right of first refusal and can either exercise it or seek to move you elsewhere in the league. Who did you play for before leaving?

Caitlin: Sky Blue, who are now in Philadelphia.

Hayley and her Thorns teammates looked down in a mutual expression of sympathy.

Lindsey: The positives with the Victory are that Christie Pearce is now the head coach and they have Carli Lloyd and a fair bit of solid if young talent. No top-end goal scorer on that team, but potential for plenty of service from Carli, Rocky Rodriguez, and Sarah Killion. I'd suggest giving Christie a call with your interest and your concerns.

As Ellie was about to jump into the conversation, Hayley's cell phone went off. She looked at the message on the screen and shook her head.

Hitmeonmycel: Hope my little Rascal is having a good time in KC. Say hi to Sonny and Horan if you see them between now and Saturday. Will be watching the games back here in PDX and missing you until you return next Wednesday. Love you!

Hayley shared the message with the rest of the table and asked the other four what she should text back. Following a round of suggestions, she typed her response.

HayleyRaso: Miss you too, Boo! Actually, I'm at dinner with those two as well as Caitlin Foord and Ellie Carpenter. We might have a occupant for that empty room in our place, as Ellie wants to come to NWSL. Find out if Gavin or Mark is coming to KC for Saturday's game and let me know. Love you, CelBelle, and I'll FaceTime you when I can get some privacy so we're able to share some serious time together. ;)

Ellie: You didn't just hint to Celeste that you wanted to sex her up, did you?!

Hayley: Hey, you sign with the Thorns and end up living with us, who knows, I might want to sex you BOTH up!

Lindsey, Emily, and Caitlin pretended not to hear that, but Ellie planted a kiss on Hayley's cheek to indicate she was sort of OK with that idea. With that, the five of them left Kona and went back to the Courtyard Country Club Plaza, where the Matildas were housed, for some additional time together, running to a handful of others from both teams while there.


	9. A Return to "Normal"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remainder of the international break, including tidbits from the intervention and results of the matches.

A breakdown of Thursday's players-only meetings:

* Morgan Brian admitted she was wrong in marrying Fabrice, but had no firm option for a replacement at the time. She apologized to Emily Sonnett and the others who felt she ignored them with her intransigence. After patching things up, Morgan asked Emily if she would help her bridge the gap to Danielle Colaprico for a possible Week 9 meeting when the Red Stars visit the Reign.

* Julie Johnston accepted the outcome of her fight with Christen Press, and the new reality of her and Kelley O'Hara being a couple. The two Royals accepted her remorse and made plans to go out together with her in Houston on Sunday night.

* Becky Sauerbrunn, Alyssa Naeher, and Megan Rapinoe rallied the troops into some sense of unified force prior to lunch and the afternoon's training session, knowing that all had not been resolved but things were good enough to move ahead with the remainder of camp and the two friendlies.

**********

The NWSL Week In Review show was taped on Friday morning for first airing that evening, with subsequent repeats on Saturday morning leading into a replay of the Week 4 match between the Portland Thorns and Utah Royals. After a short intro, the show began with Dalen Cuff.

Dalen Cuff: With the NWSL off this week due to international friendlies, our show will focus first on what has transpired off-the-field in the past several days, including an update from US National Team camp from Tobin Heath, before moving onto a recap of last Saturday's matches and a report card of the season's first quarter.

Dalen: The usual action we expect during league breaks started on Monday morning when the Washington Spirit dismissed head coach and general manager Jim Gabarra, citing the team's rapid decline from 2016 NWSL runners-up to last place in 2017 to an 0-4-1 record to start 2018 as the main reason for the change. Spirit president Chris Hummer also mentioned the team's lack of will in the second half of their 6-0 loss to North Carolina two days prior was a sign that "he lost the locker room". Top assistant Tom Torres has been promoted, but Hummer did not confirm that he would have the job for the remainder of the season.

Dalen: Thursday was a busy day of movement, as things started with Washington sending forward Cheyna Williams to Philadelphia for the Victory's second-round pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft. Later in the day, the Chicago Red Stars sacked head coach Rory Dames in the aftermath of a social media fight between him and a number of his players, a continuation of the tirade he laid out last week leading up to the team's 4-0 loss to Utah. Not to be outdone, of course, Laura Harvey dealt Alexa Newfield and Alex Arlitt to St. Louis FC for their position at the top of the NWSL Allocation List. To break down the good and bad of this, I am joined by Lori Lindsey. Lori, tell the viewers what might have been behind the trades and what else could be coming down the line before the league resumes play next Saturday.

Lori Lindsey: Williams going to the Victory gives them a legitimate forward on a team that has scored just two goals this season. It also reunites her with her new husband, Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews. I don't think Philly is done with making moves to fix their lack of scoring, so expect at least one more player to join the club between now and the 19th. As for Utah's move for the top spot in the allocation order, I am presuming that someone in either the US or Canadian National Team player pool is planning to enter the league, with the names on my radar being Kadeisha Buchanan, Crystal Dunn, Jessie Fleming, and Sophie Schmidt. None of these will provide depth for next year as all will most likely be in France for the Women's World Cup, but Buchanan fixes the Royals' one slight weakness, which is the lack of a week-in, week-out center back partner for Becky Sauerbrunn. Keep your eyes glued in case Harvey clears out other players in expectation of their new arrival. What Newfield and Arlitt get out of this is the ability to rejoin St. Louis FC coach Vlatko Andonovski, who they played under at FC Kansas City, and a chance to see meaningful minutes.

Dalen: Your opinion on the decisions to sack Gabarra and Dames?

Lori: Both clubs were in the right in doing so. The Spirit's slide, amassing only 15 points from the 25 games they've played since the 2016 NWSL final, required a changing of the guard. Speaking as a former Spirit player, I am pretty sure the move hadn't been planned prior to the conclusion of Saturday's match in Cary, which is why I also feel like Torres will be a caretaker manager for the next couple of months as I believe Kati Jo Spisak, head coach of the Spirit's reserve team, will be elevated to head the NWSL side at the conclusion of their season in the WPSL. Now, about Dames. He had it coming after the off-season of turmoil involving the Red Stars' players and his comments on multiple occasions denouncing their off-field lives. Because Whisler pulled the trigger so quickly, he must have been sensing a need to act and is probably in the process of seeking out a permanent replacement for him. In the meantime, Bonnie Young will be in charge.

Dalen: When we return, Tobin Heath will join me with a report from US National Team camp. You are watching the NWSL Week In Review on Lifetime.

Upon return, Dalen and Tobin spoke about the attitude and atmosphere in camp, the Wednesday night get-togethers, and the Thursday morning intervention, where most of the players were able to reconcile with those they had harmed.

Tobin: Not all was forgiven, however. Sam Mewis' attempt to gain the acceptance if not forgiveness of several members of the team came to naught, which I think could end up causing her additional harm both on and off-the-field. Beyond that, the statement made by Alyssa Naeher and her Chicago Red Stars teammates here in Kansas City, including Australian National Team player Alanna Kennedy, in response to Rory Dames' online fight with Stephanie McCaffrey and Sam Johnson, played a key role in maintaining the spirit of unity that had been forged earlier on Thursday and their threat of sitting out the May 19th match against St. Louis was most likely the impetus in him being dismissed.

Dalen: How do you foresee the friendlies tomorrow and Tuesday playing out?

Tobin: Tomorrow night will be an all-out battle, with Tuesday being more cat-and-mouse as each team adjusts from the first match and uses a wider range of players in the contest.

Dalen: Thank you, Tobin. We'll let you get off to training.

Dalen sent the show to commercial with a tease of the forthcoming first-quarter report cards.

**********

* At Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, the US and Australia engaged in a back-and-forth match of well-taken goals and timely defensive stops. Sam Kerr's second goal of the match in the 84th minute allowed the Matildas to gain a share of the spoils from a 3-3 draw. Caitlin Foord contributed the third Aussie tally, with Christen Press' brace and Lindsey Horan's long-range shot providing the goals for the Americans.

* On Monday, Ellie Carpenter signed with the Portland Thorns and Caitlin Foord rejoined the Philadelphia Victory. The next day, Utah sent defender Sydney Miramontez and their second-round pick in the 2019 NWSL Draft to Houston for forward Kealia Ohai, allowing the Dash to fix a major hole on its roster (right back) while bringing the native Utahn to the Royals.

* Katie Johnson of the Seattle Reign broke her left leg during the Mexican National Team's 2-0 win over Guatemala on Tuesday night, ruling her out for the remainder of the 2018 NWSL season.

* Christine Sinclair drew nearer to Abby Wambach in her chase of the international goal-scoring record, picking up two against Portugal and one against Spain to now stand on 177, seven shy of Wambach's 184. Steph Labbe held Spain at bay for a 1-0 win, while Kailen Sheridan blanked Portugal by a 4-0 scoreline. Janine Beckie and Diana Matheson added tallies to Sinclair's two against the Portuguese, with Lindsay Agnew getting an assist on Beckie's goal.

* The second friendly between the US and Australia was a much-tighter affair. Mallory Pugh snuck through a knuckler on Matildas netminder Mackenzie Arnold to give the Americans a 1-0 lead heading to halftime. Kyah Simon equalized in the 58th minute, drawing Ashlyn Harris off her line before chipping it over the diving goalkeeper. Sam Mewis was subbed in for Julie Johnston and would end up being victimized by Sam Kerr for the Aussies' game-winner, as neither Emily Sonnett, Abby Dahlkemper, nor Lindsey Horan provided defensive pressure once Mewis had been juked out-of-position by Kerr. A roar went through BBVAA Compass Stadium as the shot hit the net behind Harris, with the Houston crowd being clearly behind the current and former Dash players on the Aussies' roster (Kerr, Clare Polkinghorne, and Lydia Williams). The 2-1 win for Australia was the US' first loss during the NWSL season since the founding of the league and a lot of eyes both in and out of the locker room were focused on Ellis' decision to bring on Mewis given the current state of affairs within the team and the players who were currently on the field.


	10. NWSL Matchday Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chicago at St. Louis

After checking into the Hyatt Regency St. Louis, Alyssa Naeher, Emily Boyd, and Taylor Comeau from the Red Stars walked over to Bamboo Bistro to meet Julie King, Katie Stengel, Aubrey Bledsoe, and Ifeoma Onumonu from St. Louis FC for dinner. Alyssa gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek when she arrived, then introduced her backup to Aubrey, who she would be facing tomorrow when the two clubs competed. Onumonu exchanged hugs with her former Cal-Berkeley teammates Boyd and Comeau. Once seated, the conversation began.

Alyssa (to Julie): I just saw you a few days ago in Kansas City, but I miss you, babe.

OTHERS: Awwwwwwww!

Julie blushed before squeezing Alyssa's hand under the table. "Why did I wait until after you were gone from the Breakers to pursue you?"

Alyssa: Same reason I didn't tell you before I left that you were someone I wanted to date. Scared of being turned down. So Katie, how did you and Aubrey come to cross the line?

Katie: We should have just made the leap when we were at Wake Forest together, but there were a million things in the way, not the least of which being that I'm built like THIS! Girls wouldn't want me and guys think I'm so bro it's not even funny.

Alyssa: I completely get what you mean. Someone as adorable at Julie I thought would never want what I would bring to a relationship, the bro vibe combined with being shy as the dickens. When we agreed to start dating, I made her agree that we would NOT get looped into her sister's reality TV world (Julie's sister Meghan King Edmonds is one of the Real Housewives of Orange County), and so far that hasn't happened.

Julie: I love Lyss too much to put her in a situation where she could easily get overwhelmed.

Katie: Back to the story. When Aubrey agreed to play in Australia with me, it made good sense for us to have "the talk", since I hadn't found someone who I wanted as much as her and she seemed open to exploring something with me.

Taylor: So the two of you get together at the same time the Breakers are being moved from Boston to St. Louis. How did she end up here?

Aubrey: Credit Julie and Katie for that. When it became known the team would be moving to St. Louis, the two of them, being natives or near-natives (Katie's dad and family are from the area), worked on trying to keep most of the team together as well as broaching potential teammates from the Midwest. It helped with keeping Rose here, getting Shea (Groom) from Utah, and now the other two former FC Kansas City players. With Rose and I both from Cincinnati and Katie and I starting to date, there was a bit of a push inside the building for Vlatko (Andonovski, St. Louis' new head coach) to go get me. I knew I'd eventually get my time in Orlando because Ashlyn would be gone with the national team, but I wanted to show I could be a starter in this league. The trade was made and now I'm where I should be, alongside Katie and part of the bigger Stengel family.

Katie leaned over and pecked Aubrey's temple, which got a smile out of Alyssa and Julie.

Emily: Tomorrow will be my first start in the league, and even though I've been told everywhere I've gone to prepare like the starter even if you're the backup, I never really heed that advice. Lyss, Aubrey, anything special I should know or do in preparation?

Julie: First thing you need to do is trust your back line to do most of the defensive work. Trying to be a superhero every game is NOT in a goalkeeper's repertoire, as I'm sure Alyssa will tell you from her 2014 season in Boston. Control what you can control, and make your teammates do their jobs in front of you.

Aubrey: I'll echo Julie. I was able to step in and show reasonably well for the few games Ash was hurt last year because the back line handled a bit of the work in front of me. Problem is that it wasn't as solid a unit as what North Carolina or Kansas City or Portland had and the results showed that.

Alyssa: Sam (Johnson) and Katie (Naughton) will be your biggest allies on the field, as well as whoever Bonnie (Young, interim coach) places in front of them, which I think is a toss-up since Julie (Johnston), Alanna (Kennedy), Moe (Brian), and Rumi (Utsugi) were all on international duty the past two weeks. Speaking of Bonnie, how are things in the locker room with her in charge vs. what we faced with Rory?

Taylor: She seems willing to accept how life in the league is and the truth of players on different teams being in relationships with each other, like Casey (Short) and AD (Franch), you and Julie, and Alanna and Kyah. Any rumors of new ones among the Red Stars based on what happened at camp?

Alyssa: Can't say for sure, but Moe and Emily Sonnett talked a bit after last Thursday's intervention and I can almost guarantee it was about Danny, so that might come to happen. Now, Bears, how do you feel about your fellow alums' new attachments?

Ifeoma: I'm not sure I'm aware of any.

Emily: Arielle (Ship) is officially out with Meggie Dougherty Howard, and you know Boo-Ray (Celeste Boureille) and Hayley Raso are a thing.

Taylor: I like both pairings, but they both are sort of "different", you know? I expected Hayley to hitch on with another Aussie and Meggie to have had something with one of the Gators. I'm happy Ari and CelBelle got them, though.

Once the group finished dinner, they went back to the Hyatt Regency and had a couple of drinks at the Brewhouse Sports Bar inside, where other Red Stars and St. Louis FC players were tipping back ones as well.

**********

Dalen Cuff: Rivalries make sports come alive. In the NWSL, 2018 brought to the schedule a pair of set-aside Rivalry Weeks, where all five geographic derbies would be played on the same day. Today, we bring to you the newest of these rivalries, as the Chicago Red Stars make the trip south to face St. Louis FC, next on Lifetime.

A shot of St. Joan of Arc's Brigade, the official supporters' group of St. Louis FC's women's team, warming up in the southeast corner seats of Toyota Stadium greeted the viewers prior to Dalen starting the pre-game show.

Dalen: The seats in Toyota Stadium at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park were filled within 30 minutes of the gates opening this afternoon as the hometown fans are amped to see their team attempt to bring the perennial playoff qualifiers from the Windy City down a peg. Welcome to Lifetime's coverage of the NWSL, I'm Dalen Cuff. The May international break brought a fair bit of wheeling-and-dealing around the league, including the dismissal of the Red Stars' head coach, Rory Dames. Bonnie Young has been elevated to the top job on an interim basis, with the hiring of someone to see out the 2018 season happening in the next couple of weeks. As for on-the-field talent, two members of the Australian National Team inked deals with NWSL teams at the start of the week, with Ellie Carpenter joining the Portland Thorns and Caitlin Foord making her way to Philadelphia. Houston sent their captain, Kealia Ohai, to Utah for Sydney Miramontez and a draft pick in an attempt to fix the hole the Dash possessed at right back. During last night's Week In Review show, we were told by Thorns Insider Richard Farley that a participant in both the 2015 Women's World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics would be allocated to the NWSL on Monday by her home federation, with Utah being her destination come Tuesday. Before I bring in Jenn and Aly to discuss the action of the past two weeks, I want to highlight something that fans will see today across the league. According to early team sheets, the only match which will feature both clubs' #1 goalkeepers will be Orlando at North Carolina, with Ashlyn Harris and Katelyn Rowland taking up their usual places between the pipes. Here, Emily Boyd will get her first start in the NWSL in place of Alyssa Naeher. For Utah, rookie EJ Proctor will make her league debut, replacing Canadian National Team starter Stephanie Labbe. Britt Eckerstrom will be in net for Philadelphia and Haley Kopmeyer for Seattle, both spelling their clubs' national team goalkeepers, Kailen Sheridan and Lydia Williams, respectively. Jenn and Aly, give us your assessment of the past two weeks and how the coaching changes might work out for the Spirit and Red Stars.

Jenn Hildreth: I agree with what Lori Lindsey said on last week's NWSL Week In Review, that both firings were justified. The fact that neither Tom Torres nor Bonnie Young have been given assurances of being in charge for the rest of the 2018 season could cause problems in the locker room, as players might choose to not commit fully to following their new bosses with the potential for another change at the top in the offing. The addition of more Australian National Team talent to the league is a positive and hopefully will lead to the Football Federation of Australia entering into an allocation agreement with the NWSL in order to provide for a more-equal distribution of their talent across its ten teams.

Aly Wagner: The hubbub involving Utah and their new arrival has to place the rest of the league on notice as to their desire to win the title in their first year. When the topic was brought up on last week's review show, Lori threw out four names that she felt could be coming to the league: Kadeisha Buchanan; Sophie Schmidt; Jessie Fleming; and Crystal Dunn. Having had a week to digest the league's other moves and what would make the most sense for the Royals, I have to feel that Buchanan is the player. She fills a hole in the current roster and her need for more consistent minutes is a perfect fit for a team that has yet to commit to a center back partner for Becky Sauerbrunn. If it's not her, then I think you have to look for the potential that Laura Harvey will use the selection to get someone that she can deal elsewhere to fill that center back void.

Dalen: When we return, an interview with Katie Stengel and Aubrey Bledsoe on how the two of them along with hometown hero Julie King laid the groundwork for a smooth transition of the Breakers from Boston to St. Louis. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

Chicago made five changes from its preferred starting XI, with Emily Boyd, Vanessa Gilles, Taylor Comeau, Katie Naughton, and Jen Hoy getting starts. St. Louis made three changes as Kyah Simon, Allysha Chapman, and Rose Lavelle were being given a breather following international duty.

Chicago: Emily Boyd; Vanessa Gilles, Sam Johnson, Katie Naughton, Arin Gilliland; Julie Johnston; Alyssa Mautz, Vanessa DiBernardo (c), Taylor Comeau; Steph McCaffrey, Jen Hoy.

St. Louis: Audrey Bledsoe; Julie King (c), Christen Westphal, Megan Oyster, Midge Purce; Morgan Andrews, Angela Salem; Shea Groom, Katie Stengel, Imani Dorsey; Ifeoma Onumonu.

With so many changes to the starting lineups, both teams played their way through a pedestrian and uninspiring first 45 minutes. At the half, St. Louis brought on Kyah Simon in place of Ifeoma Onumonu and moved Katie Stengel up top, which led to the home side taking the lead six minutes into the second period, as a give-and-go between Stengel and Simon freed up the Wake Forest grad from Sam Johnson and allowed her to beat Emily Boyd with a shot into the top near corner. Following the tally, Alanna Kennedy came in for Julie Johnston and Sofia Huerta for Jen Hoy. The higher level of play from the latter and additional energy on display by the former eventually got the Red Stars on the board when Huerta out-jumped Christen Westphal to head in Alyssa Mautz's cross.

Sensing Chicago willing to ride out the last 17 minutes for a 1-1 draw, St. Louis coach Vlatko Andonovski inserted Rose Lavelle for Angela Salem and moved Simon up alongside Stengel, playing with just one defensive midfielder in Morgan Andrews. A passing sequence which began with Julie King stripping Taylor Comeau of the ball made its way expertly up the field from her to Andrews, back to Midge Purce, forward to Imani Dorsey, laterally to Andrews and up to Lavelle. After a bit of advancement with the ball, Lavelle passed it to Shea Groom on her right. Her cross for Stengel overshot the striker, but was gathered up by Dorsey prior to going out-of-bounds. Dorsey squared off against Vanessa Gilles and burnt the Canadian rookie before dribbling up the end line and slotting a pass to the penalty spot, which Stengel drilled past Boyd. Janessa Gunn blew the full-time whistle after four minutes of stoppage time, giving St. Louis their first win over Chicago and the franchise's first victory over the Red Stars since their first-ever NWSL meeting on May 4, 2013.

**********

The remainder of the slate:

* Caitlin Foord scored on her debut for Philadelphia as the Victory picked up its first-ever win, 1-0 over the Washington Spirit.

* Goals from Makenzy Doniak, Debinha, and Frannie Crouse propelled North Carolina to a 3-1 win in the Southeast Derby against Orlando.

* Christen Press and Sam Kerr each picked up two goals on the night, but in the end the firepower of the Utah Royals proved to be too much for Houston to withstand, leading to a 5-2 triumph.

* Christine Sinclair and Emily Sonnett's tallies provided the Portland Thorns a second Cascadia Derby win on the season, 2-0 over the Seattle Reign.

=====================

St. Louis 2 Chicago 1 (Stengel/Simon, Stengel/Dorsey; Huerta/Mautz)

Philadelphia 1 Washington 0 (Foord/Lloyd)

North Carolina 3 Orlando 1 (Doniak/Williams, Debinha pk, Crouse/O'Sullivan; Morgan/Marta)

Utah 5 Houston 2 (Ohai/Labonta, Rodriguez/Tymrak, Press/Quinn, Press/Elby, Ratcliffe/Laddish; Kerr/Daly, Kerr/Beckie)

Portland 2 Seattle 0 (Sinclair/Klingenberg, Sonnett/Horan)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland/Utah/North Carolina 4-0-2, 14 points; Orlando 3-1-2, 11 points.

Goals: Press (UTAH) 7; Kerr (HOU) 6; Morgan (ORL)/Stengel (STL) 4

Assists: Marta (ORL) 5; Six tied at 3

Points: Press (UTAH) 16; Kerr (HOU) 12; Morgan (ORL) 10

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.40; Rowland (NC) 0.60; Franch (POR) 0.67


	11. NWSL Matchday Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seattle at North Carolina

A sizable gathering of former UCLA and Virginia players associated with the Seattle Reign and North Carolina Courage broke bread at Olive Garden on Friday night ahead of their NWSL match at WakeMed Soccer Park the next day.

McCall Zerboni: What is everyone's opinion about what went down at national team camp a couple of weeks ago? Danielle, you're probably the closest to the situation of all of us here, but if you're not comfortable sharing, that's fine.

Danielle Colaprico: I guess I should go first since I DO know a good number of those who squared-off in the intervention. I am glad that most of those in the wrong admitted so and that there was a spirit of reconciliation amongst the players. When Emily and I had dinner before last week's game against the Thorns, she told me what she and Moe talked about and asked if I would be willing to give her a face-to-face chance to patch things up when the Red Stars visit in two weeks. I'm guessing there will also be opportunities to talk with Sofia and Arin then as well.

Katelyn Rowland: We've tried to keep the drama out of the locker room here, but the next two weeks are going to test that, with Houston here on the 2nd and us playing in Portland on the 9th. If on-field extracurriculars occur, we'll stand up for Sammy, but I also understand Abby and Kristie's position about being kept in the dark regarding her intentions to elope. If I were deeply in love with someone and they did that to me, I don't know if I could ever stomach seeing the person again.

Makenzy Doniak: Kristen, how has it been with Danny in Seattle alongside you?

Kristen McNabb: It's been pretty fun. I never got much of a chance to know her in Charlottesville because you, Moe, and Emily took up so much of her off-the-field time, so us both being on the Reign has helped me do so.

McCall: How are you taking to Carm (Moscato, Reign head coach) and her methods?

Lauren Barnes: I haven't noticed them being much different than what Laura (Harvey, former Reign and current Utah Royals head coach) did, but I'm guessing that's because Harvs and Herdman probably come from the same tactical tree. The biggest difference with Carm is her youthful exuberance, and D-Math plays on it SO WELL to embarrass her in front of the rest of the team. Next week's Friday night hangout time in Salt Lake City will probably be a riot as you'll have Carm, her two best friends in Steph Labbe and Ali Krieger, D-Math, Quinny, Jessie Fleming, and Desiree Scott all in the same room. Anyone know if there will be TV coverage for that one, since it's not the Lifetime Game of the Week?

Makenzy: I can ask Brittany (Ratcliffe, Utah forward and former Virginia Cavalier) about it.

Katelyn started to retreat into herself, which Taylor Smith noticed and acted upon.

Taylor: Wahoos, since Mak is SUCH a closed book when it comes to affairs of the heart, maybe you can fill us team Yentes in on what she might like in a person?

Danielle: Well, she didn't go for me or Moe or Sonny. Come to think of it, I don't remember her crushing per se on anyone on the team. Kristen?

Kristen: There was that volleyball player she was smitten with as a freshman, but nothing came of it. Can't remember her name, but personality-wise was like Alyssa Naeher. Quiet, focused, but with a really big heart.

Makenzy: I wish I'd been able to tell Tobi what I thought, but that three-year gap, me a lonely little freshman and her a senior, plus not being on the same team but playing the same season, the opportunity to do it was limited if not non-existent.

Darien Jenkins: Sooooo....is that like "your type", the strong, silent person?

Makenzy: Not TOO strong, and not TOO silent, but yeah, the comforting girlfriend who is sure of herself and what she feels for me, and can trust that what I feel in return is genuine. I think I know someone like that, but my spot in the team isn't as solid as hers and thus I don't know if I'll be here from one month to the next.

Katelyn picked up the slight hint of fear but desire from her teammate and decided she would take it up with her after tomorrow's game. The Reign players returned to the Doubletree while the Courage fivesome went to the Havana Grill for karaoke.

**********

Dalen Cuff: The North Carolina Courage have picked up in 2018 where their 2017 regular season ended, with them atop the league standings and unbeaten in their first six matches. Their opponent today, the Seattle Reign, has handled its schedule as well as one would expect, beating the teams beneath them, but two losses already to their Cascadian rival Portland Thorns leaves them sitting at 3-3 and in the middle of the NWSL pack. The Courage and the Reign. Next on Lifetime.

Shots of Katelyn Rowland and Lydia Williams warming up in their nets, Jessica McDonald and Heather O'Reilly running ladders, and Danielle Colaprico, Diana Matheson, and Christine Nairn playing one-touch, two-touch with each other brought the pre-game show to air following the broadcast's introductory montage.

Dalen Cuff: WakeMed Soccer Park is again bursting at the seams as the North Carolina Courage hosts the Seattle Reign. Welcome to Lifetime's coverage of the NWSL, I'm Dalen Cuff. The Courage and Reign come into today's match with chips on their shoulders. Their schedules to date have allowed them to fatten up on the league's bottom half, but they are a combined 1-3-2 against Portland, Utah, and Orlando. The Reign's 2-0 loss to Portland last week exposed the lack of a bona fide center forward on their roster following a season-ending injury to Katie Johnson on the 15th. Reign head coach Carmelina Moscato has said the team has enough talent to score goals in buckets and her hope is for Beverly Yanez to fill the target role Johnson had been in. After last weekend's match against Orlando, speculation ran rampant about the Courage's 3-1 victory that night being Paul Riley's last game in charge as the rumor mill began touting him as a possible replacement for US National Team coach Jill Ellis should the US Soccer Federation pull the plug on her in their meeting on Monday. As we saw, the USSF released Ellis but chose to name Tony Gustavsson as interim coach for the June and July training camps and the associated friendlies against Scotland, South Africa, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago, with a permanent hire to be in place following that. We say hello to the pair calling today's game, Dean Linke and Cat Whitehill. Guys, what were your reactions to Ellis being dismissed and where do you see Sunil Gulati going for a replacement?

Dean Linke: Ellis was the compromise choice when a handful of veterans went to the Fed in 2014 seeking to oust Tom Sermanni out of fear for their positions in the player pool. It seemed like she always had less authority than a national team manager would be expected to wield. In the end, that cost her the ability or perhaps the desire to get involved with the off-field issues which befell the players this past off-season. As for who might replace her, with the time table being to have someone in time for the August camp, you can rule out the NWSL coaches as options I would think.

Cat Whitehill: I'll echo a lot of what Dean said about Jill's time in charge, that it never seemed as though she was the boss, that others held more sway or weight when it came to naming rosters. I'll throw a couple of names out there for who might be on Gulati's radar. One would be John Herdman, the Canadian National Team coach. Another would be Carla Overbeck, the former US National Team captain and current associate head coach at Duke. As much as people might grump about this choice, I think the Fed should look seriously at Albertin Montoya. He has coached teams in the USSF system in the past and led FC Gold Pride to a WPS championship in 2010 with a squad that included national team stars Kelley O'Hara, Christine Sinclair, Ali Riley, Marta, and Camille Abily.

Dalen: Before we go to commercial, I want to get your opinions on Canadian National Team player Jessie Fleming coming to NWSL and the Utah Royals.

Dean: Every school in the NCAA is breathing a sigh of relief that she has turned pro. Seriously, Laura Harvey's move to get the top spot in the allocation order from St. Louis two weeks ago had to have been based on knowing Fleming was leaving UCLA, and that would have come to her by way of one of her players I would presume.

Cat: Jessie never should have been playing college soccer given her experience at the international level and, though I understand the desire of getting one's college degree, her move to NWSL should have happened two years ago, following the Rio Olympics. Her landing with the Royals puts her around a veritable who's who of international talent and a trio of national team teammates in Stephanie Labbe, Desiree Scott, and Rebecca Quinn. All in all, a good move for her and for Harvey.

Dalen: When we return, a look into the culture that revolves around the Courage and why they have been so good since their arrival in North Carolina. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

The first half saw the Courage and Reign exchange set-piece goals as Jessica McDonald turned home a Christina Gibbons corner kick in the 34th minute, with Beverly Yanez answering seven minutes later by heading in a free kick from Danielle Colaprico. Seattle's weakness at the front of their formation ended up costing them dearly when Heather O'Reilly was able to tear away from Megan Rapinoe and streak down the right touchline before drawing Carson Pickett out to challenge her, forcing the left back to bring her down just outside the penalty area. Taylor Smith's free kick struck the hand of Lauren Barnes and deflected away from goal. Referee Natalie Simon wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot, declaring Barnes' hand to have been extended from her body when it made contact with the ball. Heather O'Reilly put the ensuing shot past Lydia Williams to give North Carolina a 2-1 lead. As the Courage worked on killing off the clock, Rebekah Stott poked out a ball possessed by Denise O'Sullivan for a corner kick. O'Reilly's in-swinger found Sam Mewis at the far post and was sent in to provide an insurance tally and assure the home side all three points with a 3-1 win.

**********

* Alanna Kennedy's 28th-minute goal was canceled out by one from Veronica Latsko in the second minute of stoppage time to send both the Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride away with a share of the spoils, allowing the Courage to extend their lead in the standings on the two sides.

* Another thorough dismantling by the Utah Royals allowed them to keep pace with North Carolina as they defeated Washington, 4-0. Stephanie Labbe picked up her fourth shutout of the season and the goals came from Christen Press, Lo'Eau Labonta, rookie Michaela Abam (the league's 100th goal of 2018), and Becca Quinn, with new signing Jessie Fleming contributing an assist on her debut.

* The Houston Dash pulled themselves out of the realm of the winless with a 2-1 win over Philadelphia behind tallies from Janine Beckie and Sam Kerr. New Victory players Cheyna Williams and Caitlin Foord combined for the home side's lone score.

* Lindsey Horan's goal and assist led Portland to a solid 3-0 victory over St. Louis in a match where the Thorns were playing 11-on-10 for the better part of 40 minutes following an off-the-ball foul on Ellie Carpenter by Allysha Chapman that resulted in the Canadian defender's dismissal. Rookie goalkeeper Lauren Clem made four saves in her league debut to earn the shutout. With the win, the Thorns joined the Royals and Courage on 17 points, but continue to trail the others on goal differential (+9 vs. +15 and +14).

=====================

North Carolina 3 Seattle 1 (McDonald/Gibbons, O'Reilly pk, Mewis/O'Reilly; Yanez/Colaprico)

Orlando 1 Chicago 1 (Latsko/Van Egmond; Kennedy/Johnston)

Washington 0 Utah 4 (Press/Ohai, Labonta/O'Hara, Abam/Tymrak, Quinn/Fleming)

Philadelphia 1 Houston 2 (Williams/Foord; Beckie/Prince, Kerr/Dahlkemper)

St. Louis 0 Portland 3 (Horan/Heath, Boureille/Carpenter, Raso/Horan)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland/Utah/North Carolina 5-0-2, 17 points; Orlando 3-1-3, 12 points.

Goals: Press (UTAH) 8; Kerr (HOU) 7; Morgan (ORL)/Stengel (STL)/McDonald (NC) 4

Assists: Marta (ORL) 5; Horan (POR)/Gibbons (NC) 4; Six tied at 3

Points: Press (UTAH) 18; Kerr (HOU) 14; Morgan (ORL)/Horan (POR) 10

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.33; Rowland (NC) 0.67; Franch (POR) 0.67


	12. NWSL Matchday Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> St. Louis at Orlando

On Monday morning, interim US National Team head coach Tony Gustavsson released the roster for the team's next training camp, which will take place June 10-19 with matches in Portland against South Africa on the 16th and Salt Lake City against Scotland the 19th.

Goalkeepers: *Alyssa Naeher, Jane Campbell, Adrianna Franch, Katelyn Rowland.

Defenders: *Becky Sauerbrunn, *Emily Sonnett, *Andi Sullivan, *Casey Short, Ali Krieger, *Kelley O'Hara, *Abby Dahlkemper, Christina Gibbons

Midfielders: *Morgan Brian, *Tobin Heath, *Lindsey Horan, *Rose Lavelle, *Sofia Huerta, Danielle Colaprico, Vanessa DiBernardo, McCall Zerboni, Lo'eau Labonta.

Forwards: *Christen Press, Jessica McDonald, Lynn Williams, Katie Stengel, Kealia Ohai.

* - Was part of May training camp

**********

After St. Louis FC's arrival in Orlando and some incidental shopping done by some of the players, Kyah Simon, Katie Stengel, and Aubrey Bledsoe went to the apartment shared by the Pride's Emily Van Egmond, Rachel Hill, and Steph Catley for dinner.

Katie: Tell me, Emily, have you and Rachel FINALLY started dating????

Rachel: Yes, we have. Surprised you hadn't figured that out already!

Kyah: I knew about it from seeing you at camp a couple of weeks ago, EVE, but I didn't tell the other two when I returned.

Steph: All of you are well-kept now. Where can I find me a good someone?

Emily: Being that you're straight, I don't know what to tell you. Most of the sniffs you've gotten have been from reporters and "bros", which I know isn't your style. With the national team breaking until we start qualifying in October, maybe get involved in the community somehow. Got to be some decent men in Orlando.

Steph: True. Anything would be better than what Alex had to deal with.

Rachel: Agreed.

Aubrey: What's with the recent stumbles for the Pride?

Emily: I wouldn't say we've stumbled. Just run into the the wrong part of the schedule, having Portland, North Carolina, and Chicago in succession. We dust you off tomorrow and pummel the Spirit next weekend to get to 18 points and be back in the race heading to the international break.

Kyah: Depending on what happens with Seattle's offensive situation, we could be at 15 points after the first half of the season. Not sure anyone would have predicted that after the move from Boston.

Rachel: You guys have done pretty well for having no real go-to scorer.

Katie: More like we have too many options and Vlatko is still experimenting who to put where in the front four. There's me, Adriana Leon, Kyah, Rose Lavelle, Imani Dorsey, Shea Groom, and now Alexa Newfield who can be placed either at the 9 or the 10. Once it gets figured out, I think we'll show our true scoring merit, which will make things easier on my girl in the back.

Steph: Katie, excited to have your family coming?

Katie: Of course I am! Dad's been out to St. Louis to see us play once, but Jackie and Jordan haven't nor do they necessarily know that things have changed between Aubrey and I.

Emily: So more to tomorrow than just trying to get the points.

Aubrey: You can say that.

Katie looked at Aubrey and sent her an air kiss, getting a couple of awwws from the Pride threesome. Following a round of beers and "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi", the St. Louis players returned to their hotel, the Marriott Orlando Downtown, barely beating curfew.

**********

Dalen Cuff: Welcome to Lifetime's coverage of the NWSL. From Orlando City Stadium comes an unexpected six-pointer, as the Pride take on a St. Louis FC team that has won three of its last five and sits just three points behind them in the league standings. Good afternoon, I'm Dalen Cuff. Orlando has picked up only one point in its two matches since the international break, losing 3-1 at North Carolina and playing the Chicago Red Stars to a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, St. Louis is still struggling to find a measure of consistency despite the recent surge in its performance. I spoke with Vlatko Andonovski earlier in the week and his comment on the situation was that they have four legitimate options to play the lone striker role in his 4-2-3-1 scheme and it's figuring out who is best at that and which others to deploy on the flanks. He also mentioned the defense and goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe have been decent despite the goals-against numbers to date. We have a special guest with us today, interim US National Team head coach Tony Gustavsson. Tony, you released your first roster this past Monday, and there were some obvious omissions from it, notably Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris from the Pride and Julie Johnston from the Red Stars. Explain your thinking behind the 26 players you have tapped as well as the ones left off.

Tony Gustavsson: My mandate for the June and July camps is to expand the player pool in preparation for World Cup qualifying and the hiring of a permanent successor to Jill Ellis. With that in mind, I took into account the fact that we were starting camp in Portland, which would make it very difficult for players from both the Pride and Washington Spirit to join us following their match on June 9th and be able to operate on the same level as the rest of those in camp prior to the middle of the week, so I chose not to call in players from either team. Beyond that, I gave Julie Johnston and Megan Rapinoe this camp off because I plan to call them into the July camp to provide leadership to the team while allowing a significant portion of the roster from this camp a well-deserved mid-season break.

Jenn Hildreth: I saw that Crystal Dunn and Sam Mewis, two camp mainstays, were also not called in this time. I can understand the distance issue pertaining to Dunn, but what about Mewis?

Tony: Once I took the reins, I contacted Becky Sauerbrunn and Tobin Heath to discuss what happened in the previous camp. Based on their observations and input, I made the decision to leave Mewis off the roster until the new coach comes on-board and can better assess her future with the national team as well as that of several others.

Aly Wagner: Last week, Cat Whitehill threw out a couple of names as possibilities to take over the National Team, those being John Herdman and Carla Overbeck. One, are you under consideration for the permanent job, and two, what can you tell us about the type of individual USSF President Sunil Gulati is seeking to lead the program?

Tony: I accepted the promotion knowing that the Fed was planning to go a different direction with their next hire than what had been the case for their previous ones. I have told them I'm willing to help out in whatever capacity necessary to get the team from where we are to the introduction of the new coaching staff and to assist in the transition once they have been hired. As for who they have in mind, though I do not know the specific individuals, it is not a secret that the current problems with the player pool have them seeking out a direct connection to the program's past for the position.

Dalen: Tony will be in the booth with Jenn and Aly for a portion of the first half to provide some insight on players who are under consideration for the July camp that will be absent a sizable portion of the standard player pool. When the pre-game show returns, we'll show what REALLY happens when teams travel in the NWSL, with our cameras following the Seattle Reign on their recent trip to North Carolina. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

**********

The Pride took the opening kickoff and made a spirited charge on St. Louis' back line, only for Megan Oyster to block an Alex Morgan shot. The forward pair of Kyah Simon and Midge Purce had trouble breaking down the Pride's back four and Rose Lavelle was being shut down by Emily Van Egmond in the middle of the park. Rachel Hill took Allysha Chapman for speed down the right flank, but her cross to Sydney Leroux was picked out of the air by Aubrey Bledsoe. Two minutes later, Marta drew Christen Westphal out of position, then slipped a pass to Leroux which was returned to the five-time FIFA Player of the Year for an easy tap-in past Bledsoe to open the scoring.

During the halftime break, Jenn Hildreth and Aly Wagner discussed what Tony had mentioned in his time in the booth and the cryptic message he left about the direction of the national team's coaching search.

Jenn: Tony indicated that we will see some new faces in the July camp. Aly, who among the uncapped are you hoping to have get a call-up?

Aly: Meggie Dougherty Howard and Savannah McCaskill from the Washington Spirit should get a looksie being that they weren't invited to this recent camp. From these two teams in front of us, I think Aubrey Bledsoe and Megan Oyster from St. Louis and Rachel Hill from Orlando deserve a chance to show the current and perhaps future coaching staff what they can do at the international level.

Jenn: Now, about the coaching search. Any hints to who they are targeting?

Aly: If connection to the past is a prereq, I think that adds two more names to the pool. One is Cindy Cone Parlow, who was the inaugural head coach of the Portland Thorns. The other is Joy Fawcett, who is currently assistant coach with the US Deaf National Team. Those two, plus Carla Overbeck, were all members of the US' 1999 Women's World Cup team. They also are the most accomplished of the 99ers on the coaching front to date.

The second half was a more open affair, as Orlando picked up a pair of goals over the opening fifteen minutes of the stanza, one from Toni Pressley and the second by way of Hill pouncing on a deflected Veronica Latsko shot. Kyah Simon broke up Ashlyn Harris' shutout in the 88th minute when she turned home an Adriana Leon cross that was dummied by Shea Groom. The 3-1 Pride win closed their gap to the conference tri-leaders (Portland, Utah, and North Carolina) to two points pending the rest of the day's action.

**********

* Portland's visit to Philadelphia resulted in a comprehensive 3-0 win for the Thorns over the Victory. Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan, and Mallory Weber contributed the goals while AD Franch was forced to make only one save in securing her third shutout of the season.

* The Washington Spirit continued to show that all was not yet well in the nation's capital as they capitulated 4-2 to the Chicago Red Stars. Vanessa DiBernardo led the side with two assists as four different goalscorers provided the offensive firepower to counter another less-than-stellar performance from its defense.

* The Utah Royals kept pace with Portland at the top of the league with a 3-0 win over Seattle, extending the Reign's offensive paucity (one goal scored over the last three games) and giving Stephanie Labbe her fifth shutout in seven games. Amy Rodriguez, Kealia Ohai, and Christen Press each added to their personal goal-scoring totals while new arrival Jessie Fleming contributed her second assist in two games.

**********

The blockbuster match of the week took place in Cary, with the Courage facing Houston in Abby Dahlkemper's first match against her former NWSL club and first-ever match against former teammate and partner Sam Mewis. An overly physical first half allowed the home team to get out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Jessica McDonald and Debhina. A change by Dash head coach Monica Gonzalez to a 3-3-1-3 to start the second half broke down North Carolina's box midfield and resulted in quick tallies from Sam Kerr (her eighth of the campaign) and Janine Beckie from a Dahlkemper corner kick.

It looked as though Houston were content with escaping with a 2-2 draw, but an opportunity to mess with her younger sister's head could not be passed up by Kristie Mewis. After getting around Taylor Smith, the Dash midfielder slashed into the penalty area. Once squared-up with Sam, Kristie attempted to drag her across the box to set up a right-footed shot. The tall and lanky defender, knowing her opponent was weak with her right, tried to coax her into shooting, which forced her to pass the ball out of the box to Andressinha. A quick pass from her out to Janine Beckie was then fed back into the box to Kristie, who struck a cross into Sam's right arm. Referee Marie-Soleil Beaudoin, overseeing her first-ever NWSL game, wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot. Kristie took the ball and placed it down on the mark, then stepped back and waited for Beaudoin's signal to shoot. Once the whistle was blown, Kristie mouthed to Courage goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, "Sorry about this", before stepping forward and placing her shot past her into the left side of the net. The 3-2 win moved the Dash away from Philadelphia and Washington at the bottom of the table and within a point of Seattle and St. Louis in 6th, while handing the Courage its first loss of the season and dropping them three points behind Portland and Utah in first.

=====================

Orlando 3 St. Louis 1 (Marta/Leroux, Pressley/Weatherholt, Hill/Latsko; Leon/Simon)

North Carolina 2 Houston 3 (McDonald/S. Mewis, Debhina/O'Sullivan; Kerr/Daly, Beckie/Dahlkemper, K. Mewis pk)

Philadelphia 0 Portland 3 (Sinclair/Carpenter, Horan/Long, Weber/Shim)

Chicago 4 Washington 2 (McCaffrey/DiBernardo, Huerta/Gilliland, Johnston/DiBernardo, Nagasato/Utsugi; Hatch/Dougherty Howard, Ship/Pugh)

Utah 3 Seattle 0 (Rodriguez/O'Hara, Ohai/Labonta, Press/Fleming)

=====================

LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Portland/Utah 6-0-2, 20 points; North Carolina 5-1-2, 17 points; Orlando 4-1-3, 15 points

Goals: Press (UTAH) 9; Kerr (HOU) 8; McDonald (NC) 5

Assists: Marta (ORL) 5; Horan (POR)/Gibbons (NC) 4/Labonta (UTAH) 4

Points: Press (UTAH) 20; Kerr (HOU) 16; Horan (POR) 12

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.29; Franch (POR) 0.57; Rowland (NC) 1.00


	13. NWSL Matchday Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Utah at Houston.

On Friday afternoon, Janine Beckie camped out at the Hyatt Regency Houston waiting for her Canadian National Team buddies Becca Quinn and Jessie Fleming, plus the rest of the Utah Royals, to arrive from Salt Lake City for tomorrow's game against the Houston Dash. Once settled, the three of them and Quinn's partner, EJ Proctor, went down the street to Benihana for dinner. The four had a wonderful time catching up and discussing what each had planned for the upcoming international break, as Canada wouldn't be playing.

Becca: EJ and I plan to stay in Utah, because the US is playing Scotland at Rio Tinto next Tuesday and we've got plans to hang out with Christina Gibbons on Sunday after the team gets in from Portland.

Jessie: I'm heading back to London for a few days, see the family, spend time with Shelina (Zadorsky) and Lindsay (Agnew, both national teamers and members of the Washington Spirit), and enjoy the break in the schedule.

Janine: I think I'm going to trek up to Portland so I can see Lindsey (Horan) and Mal (Pugh, both like Janine natives of the greater Denver area) and their game against South Africa.

EJ excused herself from the table and went to the restroom. While there, she sent a text to Christina about the US' visit and asked if the two of them could meet up on that Monday morning as the arrival of Becca's Canadian BFF in Utah had started to put a slight strain on their relationship and she needed to talk out some of it with her former Duke teammate and close friend. After returning, the conversation picked back up and the four shared some sake before the Royals returned to the hotel.

**********

Kristie Mewis invited Ali Krieger and Steph Labbe to join her and her housemates (Abby Dahlkemper and Cari Roccaro) at their place for dinner as she wanted to get her former Spirit teammates' advice on the whole Sammy situation and the new relationship ties that came out of it following Abby's arrival in Houston.

Ali: Abby, I've asked Tony (Gustavsson, interim USWNT coach) to room us together at camp next week, thinking you could probably use a bit of a breather from the younger players on the squad.

Abby: Thanks, Kriegs! Are you excited to be back in the fold?

Ali: Yes! Those two caps I need for 100 felt like they'd never come about with how Jill shuffled me out after Rio. I understand needing to turn the page a bit and blooding some new talent at right back, but couldn't she have done both?

Abby: Good question. Steph, I didn't get to talk to you when we played a couple of weeks ago. How was Canadian camp?

Steph: Another step in the right direction to FINALLY taking you Americans down for the first time since the 2001 Algarve Cup. Sinc wasn't even 18 at the time.

Kristie: Ladies, both of you have been around a bit. Am I doing the right thing concerning my relationship with Sam, and breaking up with Hoodrat (Steph McCaffrey) over it?

Steph and Ali looked at each other and wondered which one wanted to address it first. Once that was settled, the pair responded.

Steph: I don't know all the details of how things went down between you, her, Abby, and the others, just the on-field skirmish I saw involving her and Kelley (O'Hara). Shutting her out might be harsh, but not wanting to be with someone who would defend her choice to be duplicitous is a decent call.

Ali: When I learned about Ashlyn (Harris)'s side thing with Alex (Morgan), I was angry and fled as soon as I could, which led to me and Steph getting a little TOO drunk at her belated birthday party and saying and doing things that, although true and honest and heartfelt, should have happened while we were both sober.

Steph: You know my ear is always to the ground when it comes to the other goalkeepers in the league. Apparently Jane (Campbell) speculated to Ash that two of the three of you might be together in some sense. Any truth to that?

Abby: Actually, I'm theoretically with both Kristie and Cari. Cari and I are seeing each other in the romantic sense, while Kristie and I have a physical relationship that supplements what we share with our partners.

Ali: Cari, you're OK with this?

Cari: Yes. I know that Abby and Kristie have a certain need only the other can meet, because of their mutual heartbreak concerning Sam. I also know they would NEVER be able to make a relationship work as it would revolve almost entirely around that snake-in-the-grass.

Steph: Kristie, Abby mentioned both of you have partners aside from each other. May I ask who you're with?

Kristie: Sarah Hagen. We played together at FC Kansas City before reuniting here, and we both played at one time for Bayern Munich. She's stable, if that's an actual quality, and she lets me publicly love on her, whereas Stephie was SO closed-off that anything CLOSE to PDA would get me a scowl.

Ali: Sounds like a similar pairing to Steph and myself. I ground her in a way and she never has to doubt how I feel about her, nor do I about her feelings for me, like I did with Ash at times.

Cari (to Ali and Steph): Can I say that you two are SO FREAKIN' CUTE it's not even funny!

Both Ali and Steph smiled and slightly blushed, then the former pecked her girlfriend's cheek.

Ali: I've heard that a lot in the eight months we've been together.

Steph: Never thought I could find someone as drop-dead gorgeous as Ali who had the temperament and heart to handle my depression and anxiety. I'm the lucky one in this relationship, as she could have literally any woman she wants.

Ali: And I want you, Stephanie. Now and always.

Kristie, Cari, and Abby: Awwwwwww!

Steph: We best leave these combatants of ours to get a decent night's sleep. They'll need it to deal with us tomorrow.

Ali and Steph left for the Hyatt, which allowed the three Dash players to lock up and turn in.

**********

Dalen Cuff: The Utah Royals have been on fire from the opening kickoff of the season, scoring 22 goals in eight matches and allowing just four. A trade four weeks ago brought back to the Wasatch Front a native daughter and one of the league's top forwards in Kealia Ohai, adding her to a front line that includes Golden Boot leader Christen Press and franchise favorite Amy Rodriguez. Today, Ohai's old team, the Houston Dash, will attempt to do something no team in the league has accomplished to date: keep the three of them off the scoreboard in the same match. Utah and Houston, next on Lifetime.

As Dalen welcomed in the viewers, video of the parking lots surrounding BBVA Compass Stadium was shown, with some fans tailgating, others passing a ball around, and a couple following Sam Kerr and Nikki Stanton on their way toward the players' entrance.

Dalen: Lifetime welcomes you to its coverage of the National Women's Soccer League. A sell-out crowd is at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston to see the league-leading Utah Royals face their beloved Dash in the second leg of the Route 66 Derby. Good afternoon, I'm Dalen Cuff. Both the Royals and Dash have several weapons who can light up the scoreboard. They also have national-team goalkeepers whose job it is to not allow the opposition to use them like personal training dummies. So far, the Royals have been able to balance their high-power offense with stingy defensive play that has resulted in sitting atop the league in goals for, goals against, and goal differential. Despite scoring 14 goals so far in 2018, Houston only has eight points due to a minus-four goal differential, having conceded 18 thus far. Jenn Hildreth and Lori Lindsey, how do you explain the situation Monica Gonzalez has on her hands here in the Lone Star State, having both the most-proficient scorer in NWSL history in Sam Kerr and one of its leakiest defenses, which is on pace to outdo last year's Sky Blue team that yielded 43 goals in 20 games?

Jenn Hildreth: First, the Washington Spirit are averaging 2.75 goals conceded per game, which would shatter the 2.15 goals-against average of that Sky Blue defense. As for the quandary Gonzalez faces, she has tried to make some changes since the last international break to address the issue. First was the acquisition of Sydney Miramontez from the Royals to fill the right-back void her team had. Next was something we saw last week against the Courage, playing a form of Marcelo Bielsa's famous 3-3-1-3 formation, which allowed them to overload the midfield and isolate Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald in attack. Based on the starting lineup for today's match, it looks like the Dash will be setting up in something similar to shut down Utah's front line of Amy Rodriguez, Christen Press, and Kealia Ohai.

Lori Lindsey: I think you're correct on both fronts, Jen. Monica Gonzalez has been trying to fix the defense inherited from her predecessor through both personnel and scheme, and her choice to play two blocks of three and turn the match into a showdown between Utah's back four of Kelley O'Hara, Ali Krieger, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Becca Moros and her front four of Kristie Mewis, Janine Beckie, Sam Kerr, and Rachel Daly gives the Dash a distinct chance to get a result today.

Dalen: When we come back, a touching piece on college teammates and partners EJ Proctor and Becca Quinn and how their "big sisters" on the Royals, Steph Labbe and Ali Krieger, have helped them adjust both to the league as well as the expectations of being an out couple in it. You are watching the NWSL on Lifetime.

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The first half began with the Royals making several attacking forays down the right side of the field, hoping that Lo'eau Labonta's more central positioning would make it less-challenging to move the ball past Andi Sullivan. A corner kick in the 27th minute taken by Jessie Fleming flew through the box, but was saved from going out of bounds by Amy Rodriguez. Her cross back into the penalty area found Christen Press at the near post, where she out-maneuvered Clare Polkinghorne to force an out-of-position Jane Campbell into a highlight-reel save to keep the match scoreless.

The opening fifteen minutes of the second half saw neither team be particularly creative in producing a goal. Laura Harvey brought in Becca Quinn for Desiree Scott and Katie Bowen for Rodriguez, moving Kelley O'Hara to right flank. In the 66th minute, a Janine Beckie shot was tipped over the bar by Steph Labbe. When she came back to earth, the Canadian #1 felt a stinging pain shoot up along the outside of her left leg. Referee Janessa Gunn signaled for the Royals' trainer to come onto the field and assess the goalkeeper and, after a couple of questions, Labbe got up and started to walk around her penalty area, hoping the pain was just a twinge. Harvey, sensing the possibility of her starting goalkeeper being slightly incapacitated, had EJ warm up in order to sub her on at the next possible stoppage in play. Prior to making the switch, Labbe relayed to her coach that she was fine and could make it through the remainder of the match.

As the contest entered the final ten minutes of regular time, both teams began to press harder in search of a winning score. Quinn had been moved up to play alongside Fleming when Mandy Laddish was brought on in place of Labonta, and the two Canadians were able to use their chemistry and magic to breach the Dash's defense and open the scoring in the 83rd minute. Houston coach Monica Gonzalez substituted Kimberly Keever for Sam Kerr and moved Nichelle Price, a prior insertion for Kristie Mewis, up top in front of Andressinha. Abby Dahlkemper's corner kick in the second minute of stoppage time was headed out by Becky Sauerbrunn, but Andressinha beat Laddish to the ball as it exited the penalty area. Her floating pass found Prince alone between Krieger and Bowen, whose flick with the outside of her right foot fooled Labbe and found the back of the net. The 1-1 tie moved Utah to 21 points and sole possession of the league's top position pending the remainder of Matchday Nine's contests, while extending the Dash's unbeaten run to three games.

**********

* A 85th-minute goal from Lynn Williams was all the scoring the North Carolina Courage would need as it handed the Portland Thorns their first loss of the season, 1-0.

* St. Louis FC, behind two goals from Katie Stengel, defeated Philadelphia 4-1 in a match which saw Victory head coach Christie Pearce play the final 14 minutes on defense due to an injury befalling Erica Skroski.

* Stephanie McCaffrey and rookie Alexa Ben scored eight minutes apart in the second half and the Chicago defense kept the opposition scoreless for the first time since Week Two in a 2-0 win over Seattle, extending the Reign's losing streak to four games.

* The Orlando Pride offense rolled over the still-winless Washington Spirit, getting goals from Alex Morgan, Veronica Latsko, and Sydney Leroux in a 3-1 triumph.

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Houston 1 Utah 1 (Prince/Andressinha; Fleming/Quinn)

Orlando 3 Washington 1 (Morgan/Marta, Latsko/Hill, Leroux/Catley; McCaskill/Dougherty Howard)

St. Louis 4 Philadelphia 1 (Stengel/Groom, Lavelle/Simon, Stengel/Leon, Onumonu/Andrews; Foord/Lloyd)

Portland 0 North Carolina 1 (Williams/Hamilton)

Seattle 0 Chicago 2 (McCaffrey/Mautz, Ben/Brian)

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LEAGUE LEADERS

Standings: Utah 6-0-3, 21 points; North Carolina/Portland 6-1-2, 20 points; Orlando 5-1-3, 18 points

Goals: Press (UTAH) 9; Kerr (HOU) 8; Stengel (STL) 6

Assists: Marta (ORL) 6; Four tied at 4

Points: Press (UTAH) 20; Kerr (HOU) 16; Stengel (STL)/Morgan (ORL)/Horan (POR) 12

GAA: Labbe (UTAH) 0.38; Franch (POR) 0.63; Rowland (NC) 0.88


End file.
